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LUCIUS  P.UNYAN  COMPTON. 


LIFE  OF 
LUCIUS  BUNYAN  COMPTON 

The  Mountaineer  Evangelist 


BY 
REV.  JOHN  C,  PATTY 

fl  Minister  erf  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Member  of  the  Holston  ConfeieBce.      Author 
ei  "Twenty-five  Years  on  the  Firing  Line,    Life  of  John  T.  Hatfidd.  the  Hoeder  ETaagefift. 


THE  REVIVAUST  PRESS 

Ringgold,  Young  and  Channing  Streets 

CINCINNATI.  O. 


COPYRIGHTED,  1914, 

By   the   Eliada   Orphanage   and   Faith    Cottage   Rescue   Work, 

Asheville,    North    Carolina. 


To  Homeless  Children  and  Uneortunate 

Girls,  is  This  Book  Respectfully 

Dedicated 


O 
0- 

J 
1^ 


INTRODUCTION 

I  have  been  asked  to  write  an  introductory 
note  to  the  "Life  of  Lucius  B.  Compton."  It  is 
a  pleasure  to  do  it. 

Brother  Compton  ever  reminded  me  of  the 
simple,  unconventional  call  of  Amos  to  ihe 
prophet's  office:  '7  zvas  no  prophet,  neither  was 
I  a  prophet's  son:  hut  I  was  an  herdman,  and  a 
gatherer  of  sycamore  fruit/'     (Amos  7:  14.) 

It  is  good  to  know  Brother  Compton  in  his 
work  in  the  mountains,  in  his  conduct  in  and 
around  camp-m'eetings,  in  various  places  in  his 
own  country  and  under  conditions  in  other 
countries.  In  private  and  in  public,  he  has  always 
been  the  simple,  unaffected  ''God's  man,''  and, 
what  is  more  satisfying,  he  still  keeps  his  life 
fresh  by  facing  himself  with  God  day  by  day. 
God  bless  the  new  book !  It  will  be  a  stimulus  to 
many  an  unobtrusive  worker  for  God  and  a  good 

vii. 


viii  Introduction. 

chastening  for  any  who  are  inclined  to  think 
themselves  something.  God  bless  Brother  Comp- 
ton  and  this  book! 

The  words  of  Dr.  Frederick  Myers  always 
seem  to  me  to  peculiarly  apply  to  Brother  Comp- 
ton's  earnest  view  of  his  work  and  himself: 

*'0h,  could  I  tell,  ye  surely  would  believe  it! 
Oh,  could  I  only  say  what  I  have  seen ! 
How  should  I  tell  or  how  can  ye  receive  it, 
How,  till  He  bringeth  you  where  I  have  been? 

*' Therefore,  0  Lord,  I  will  not  fail  nor  falter, 
Nay,  but  I  ask  it,  nay,  but  I  desire, 
Lay  on  my  lips  Thine  embers  of  the  altar, 

Seal  with  the  sting  and  furnish  with  the  fire; 

''Give  me  a  voice,  a  cry  and  a  complaining, 
Oh,  let  my  sound  be  stormy  in  their  ears ! 
Throat    that    would    shout,    but    cannot    stay    for 
straining, 
Eyes  that  would  weep,  but  cannot  weep  for  tears. 

'*  Quick  in  a  moment,  infinite  for  ever, 
Send  an  arousal  better  than  I  pray. 
Give  me  a  grace  upon  the  faint  endeavor, 
Souls  for  my  hire  and  Pentecost  to-day!" 

Oswald  Chambers,  Principal. 
Bible  Training  College, 
London,  England. 
May  30,  1 914. 


FOREWORD 

This  book  comes  to  you  unpretentiously.  It 
seeks  your  indulgence  upon  the  humblest 
grounds.  It  was  written  chiefly  for  the  eyes  and 
hearts  of  devout  Christians — not  critics.  It 
does  not  seek  to  magnify  Lucius  B.  Compton,  but 
Jesus  Christ,  but  for  whom  Compton  would 
probably  to-day  be  equally  as  useless  as  he  is 
useful.  It  is  the  author's  expectation  that  this 
book  will  be  read  almost  exclusively  by  Mr. 
Compton's  personal  friends,  and  what  a  host  of 
them  he  has!  for  to  know  him  is  to  love  him. 
It  is  by  these  that  the  book  will  be  most  appre- 
ciated. 

Advance  demands  indicate  that  the  book  will 
reach  a  tremendous  sale.  Its  predecessor  the 
'Xife  of  Lucius  B.  Compton/'  a  book  of  far  less 
interest  and  merit,  has  gone  by  the  thousands 
almost  everywhere  in  America,  and  has  been 
mudi  appreciated  on  other  continents. 

ix 


X  Foreword. 

It  has  been  the  author's  constant  prayer,  as 
he  has  been  writing  this  book  during  the  busy 
days  of  an  exacting  pastorate,  that  much  of  that 
indefinable  magnetism  and  spiritual  power  that 
accompany  Mr.  Compton's  private  life  and  public 
ministry  shall  permeate  every  paragraph,  bring- 
ing salvation,  sanctification,  edification  and 
healing  to  hungry  and  devout  lives  everywhere. 
What  excuse  can  any  book  have  for  its  emer- 
gence among  its  million-volumed  contemporaries 
if  it  does  not,  in  some  measure,  accomplish  this  ? 

The  writer  receives  no  financial  remunera- 
tion for  his  labor — his  is  a  service  of  love.  The 
subject  of  this  book  is  to  receive  no  financial 
reward  from  its  sale.  He  has  arranged  that  all 
profits  that  may  accrue  shall  be  given  to  Faith 
Cottage  and  Eliada  Orphanage.  That  makes 
this  book,  God's  book,  to  that  extent.  May  it  be 
His  to  every  extent! 

The  writer  is  responsible  for  every  expression 
found  in  these  pages  commendatory  of  Mr. 
Compton.  Characteristically,  being  one  of  the 
most  unassuming,  unpretentious,  and  humble 
men  of  great  worth  one  ever  meets,  he  asked  me 
to  write  of  his  faults  freely  and  frankly.  I  have 
been  his  friend  and  co-laborer  for  many  years 
and  I  think  I  know  him  well.     He  has  but  one 


Foreword.  xi 

fault  worth  mentioning",  i.  e.,  he  is  killing  him- 
self with  overwork.  I  have  admonished  and 
entreated  him  to  desist,  but  he  will  not.  As  well 
attempt  to  plug  up  an  active  volcano!  Mr. 
Compton  IS  thirty-eight  years  old.  I  fear  he  will 
spend  his  forty-fifth  birthday  in  Heaven.  Well, 
perhaps  there  will  be  fewer  folks  in  Heaven  as 
a  result  of  working-  themselves  to  death  for  Jesus 
Christ  than  from  any  other  single  malady,  and  it 
may  be,  therefore,  a  most  distinguished  honor  to 
be  one  among  them. 

John  C.  Patty, 
Pastor  Centenary  M.  E.  Church, 

Morristown,  Tennessee. 
May  I,  1914. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

Foreword. 
Introduction. 

T.     Birth  and  Childhood 17 

IT.     Can  a  Christian  Backslide? 29 

III.  Sinning  Against  the  Light .  38 

IV.  Walking  in  the  Light . 52 

V.     Entering  the  Ministry 63 

VI.  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  a  Preacher 81 

VII.  Sanctification 92 

VIII.  Faith  Cottage 99 

IX.  The  Audacity  of  Faith 114 

X.  Are  the  Days  of  Miracles  Past? 126 

XL  Eliada  Orphanage 141 

XII.  Eliada,  Is  ''Beautiful  for  Situation" 157 

XIII.  Faith  and  Its  Proofs 172 

XIV.  The  Heroines  of  Faith  Cottage  and  Eliada 

Orphanage 184 

XV.     Mr.  Corapton    Himself. 196 

XVI.     From  New  York  to  Joppa 221 

XVII.     From  Joppa  to  the  Dead  Sea 251 

XVIII.     From  Haifa  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and 

Home 271 

A  Sermon  on  the  State  of  Souls  after  Death 287 

xiii 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lucius  Bunyan  Compton Frontispiece 

Mr.  Compton 's  Childhood  Home 19 

Miles  Calvin  and  Elizabeth  Compton 23 

Compton  When  a  Crippled  Boy 33 

Compton  When  a  Young  Laborer 41 

Compton  in  a  Snowstorm 65 

Faith  Cottage 103 

Cabin  Where  Orphanage  Work  Started 145 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton  and  Marietta 151 

Eliada  Orphanage  (New  Building) 161 

Group  of  Orphanage  Children 167 

Chapel  and  School-building 177 

Board  of  Managers  of  the  Eliada  Orphanage  and 

Faith  Cottage  Rescue  Work 193 

Eliada  Orphanage  and  Faith  Cottage  Car 201 

Eliada  Orphanage  Camp-meeting  Grounds 209 

Steamship   ''Laconia" 225 

Carro-riding  at  Madeira 233 

Mohammedan  Women  Going  to  Worship,  Algiers, 

Africa 241 

The  Pyramids  of  Egypt 249 

Mr.  Compton  Riding  Around  the  City  of  Jerusalem..257 
Lucius  B.  Compton  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  .263 

Baptismal  Service  in  the  Jordan 269 

Carrying:  Water  from  the  Virgin's  Fountain,  Naza- 
reth  273 

XV 


CHAPTER  I. 
Birth  and  Childhood 

The  libraries  of  the  world  abound  with 
biographies  and  autobiographies  of  men  Who, 
under  God,  ''subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  right- 
eousness, obtained  promises,  stopped  the  mouths 
of  lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  out  of  weakness  were  made 
strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight  and  turned  to 
flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  Among  these 
heroes  of  faith  and  prayer,  Lucius  Bunyan 
Compton  is  deserving  of  an  honored  place. 

Philosophers  have  affirmed  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  produce  something  from  nothing.  When 
Almighty  God  laid  His  hand  upon  this  crippled 
boy,  far  back  among  the  mountains  of  w^estern 
North  Carolina — tongue-tied,  ignorant  and  poor 
— and,  by  the  mighty  processes  of  His  Spirit, 
laid  the  foundations  in  his  life  upon  which  He 

17 


i8      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

was  ultimately  to  build  an  eloquent  preacher,  a 
winner  of  souls,  and  a  founder  and  maintainer 
of  humanitalrian  institutions,  He  triumphantly 
contravened  the  maxims  of  the  philosophers. 

By  a  long  established  precedent  in  biograph- 
ical procedure,  somewhere  near  the  beginning 
of  the  subject's  life,  the  writer  is  expected  to  tell 
where  and  when  the  hero  was  born.  Like  the 
interest  and  mystery  that  surround  the  source  of 
a  mighty  river  which,  in  its  ever  broadening 
expanse,  empties  itself  into  the  depths  of  the 
mysterious  sea,  is  the  interest  and  mystery  that 
environ  the  beginning  of  a  fragile  and  helpless 
life,  deepening  and  broadening  until,  reaching 
manhood's  full  flood,  it  passes  into  the  greater 
and  grander  mystery,  the  boundless  ocean  of 
God's  eternal  love, 

Lucius  Bunyan  Compton  was  born  on  the 
twenty-first  day  of  April,  in  the  year  eighteen 
hundred  and  seventy-five,  in  Haywood  County, 
North  Carolina,  among  the  gorgeously  verdure- 
clad  Blue  Ridge  mountains.  His  birthplace  was 
so  remote  from  city  and  railroad,  and  so  out  of 
reach  of  all  the  wonders  of  modern  life,  that  his 
youth  was  passed  among  the  most  primitive  con- 
ditions. 

The  Comptons  were  the  poorest  of  the  poor 


o 

W 

o 
o 
o 

o 

S 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         21 

among  the  mountain  people,  for,  in  addition  to 
the  common  circumstances  that  made  their 
neighbors  poor,  the  father  — Miles  Calvin  Comp- 
ton — was  a  mountaineer  preacher  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Baptist  Church,  and  received  for  his 
Gospel  services,  only  a  pittance.  Indeed,  it  was 
a  rare  occurrence  for  him  to  receive  any  remu- 
neration for  his  labor.  Upon  an  income  of 
thirty-five  cents  a  day  depended  the  support  of  a 
wife  and  several  children.  Ofttimes,  after  a  hard 
week's  toil,  this  sturdy  man,  upon  reaching  his 
cabin  home  late  on  Saturday,  would  spend  most 
of  the  night  preparing  a  sermon  and,  starting 
early  on  Sunday  morning,  would  walk  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  across  the  mountains  to  reach 
his  preaching  appointment. 

The  family  fared  chiefly  on  hoe-cake.  Hoe- 
cake  for  breakfast;  hoe-cake  for  dinner;  hoe- 
cake  for  supper!  Now  and  then  the  father 
managed  to  provide  wheat  biscuits  for  a  Sun- 
day meal.  The  knowledge  of  this  delectable 
prospect  would  fill  the  Compton  children  with 
happier  anticipations  than  an  extensive  Christ- 
mas celebration  does  many  children  reared  amidst 
conditions  of  affluence.  When  Lucius  was  a 
lad,  he  used  to  regard,  as  the  apex  of  his  life's 
ambition,  the  privilege  of  living  in  a  painted 


22      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

house  and  eating  wheat  biscuits  three  times  a 
day.  Corn  pone,  onions  and  salt  constituted  the 
usual  meal  at  the  Compton  cabin.  One  of  the 
older  boys  was  hired  out  for  a  quart  of  sorghum 
molasses  per  day.  The  boy  brouglit  the  molasses 
home  at  night,  the  contents  would  be  eaten  in 
time  for  him  to  take  the  empty  can  back  with  him 
the  next  day.- 

Another  contributor  to  the  up-keep  of  the 
family  was  Morg,  a  faithful  old  dog.  Many 
times  the  industry  of  this  dog  provided  them  with 
substantial  table  luxuries.  If  Morg  caught  a 
rabbit,  he  would  bring  it  home  voluntarily,  and 
far  in  the  night,  he  would  sometimes  tree  an 
opossum  and  refuse  to  leave  the  tree  until  some 
member  of  the  family  would  get  the  animal  safely 
bagged.  Rabbit  stews  and  baked  opossum  were 
excellent  food  with  which  to  break  the  dietary 
monotony  of  hoe-cake,  onions  and  salt! 

Until  Lucius  was  a  well-grown  youth,  the 
rich  hearts  and  knots  of  pine  logs  supplied  then 
one-room  log  cabin  with  its  only  illumination. 
One  day  his  father  bought  a  tin  lamp  that  was 
fitted  with  a  round  wick.  The  children  regarded 
this  simple  device  with  as  great  interest  as  we  of 
later  years  manifest  in  a  flying-machine.  The 
children  would  contend  with  each  other  for  the 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         25 

privilege  of  lighting  the  wonderful  lamp  each 

night. 

Another  addition  to  the  household  conven- 
iences, that  was  an  unfailing  source  of  interest, 
was  a  simple  little  coffee-grinder.  Up  to  the 
acquisition  of  this  device,  the  coffee  had  been 
cracked  upon  the  stone  hearth  with  an  iron 
wedge.  Their  interest  in  the  machine  caused  the 
children  to  beg  for  the  privilege  of  grinding  the 
coffee  for  the  daily  meals. 

But  of  all  the  conveniences  that  found  their 
way  into  that  mountainous  community,  there  was 
not  one  that  stirred  the  Comptons  to  such  a  pitch 
of  enthusiasm  as  when  the  first  clock  they  had 
ever  seen  was  placed  upon  the  shelf  above  the  fire- 
place.   With  glowing  eyes  and  open  mouths,  the 
children  gazed  upon  that  clock,  and,  by  and  by 
when  they  heard  it  strike  the  hour  for  the  first 
time,  had  the  United  States  Marine  Band  sud- 
denly    appeared     playing       ''The     Coronation 
March,"  the  children  would  scarcely  have  been 
more  enraptured.     For  days  no  one  needed  to 
watch  that  clock  to  note  the  near  arrival  of  the 
even  hour,  for  every  child  would  rush,  instinc- 
tively, to  the  cabin  door  just  in  time  to  hear  the 
wonderful  time-piece  strike.     It  seemed  to  them 
that  its  tones  were  almost  sublime! 


26      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

The  Compton  family  had  been  often  exhorted 
to  prepare  themselves  for  the  great  Judgment 
Day,  when  "Gabriel  should  place  one  foot  on  the 
land  and  the  other  on  the  sea,  and  declare  that 
time  should  be  no  more."  In  that  day  there  was 
to  be  an  earthquake,  the  sun  would  turn  black, 
the  moon  become  as  blood,  the  stars  fall  to  the 
earth,  the  heavens  depart  and  every  mountain  be 
removed  from  its  place.  This  great  day  was  to 
end  the  world  and  bring  guilty  sinners  to  the 
bar  of  Eternal  Justice.  Doubtless  this  scriptural 
preaching  had  a  most  salutary  effect  upon  the 
minds  of  the  community;  it  had  a  very  humorous 
effect  upon  them  also,  as  the  following  incident 
will  show. 

One  night,  in  the  month  of  September,  at 
about  ten  o'clock,  Lucius  had  been  in  bed  with 
his  father  just  a  short  time;  one  of  the  family 
was  assisting  at  a  sick  neighbor's,  another  was 
helping  a  neighbor  with  his  tobacco  curing,  while 
the  mother  and  the  sister  were  preparing  apples 
for  drying  in  the  lean-to  at  the  rear,  when,  sud- 
denly, the  cabin  began  to  shake.  Thinking  that 
young  Lucius  had  given  the  wall  a  kick,  his 
father  said,  'Xuch,  stop  kicking  that  wall." 
Presently  the  cabin  trembled  aofain  and  Mr. 
Compton  said,  "Luch,  if  you  don't  stop  kicking 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         27 

the  wall,  I'll  punish  you/'  While  Lucius  was 
assuring  his  father  that  he  was  innocent  of  his 
accusation,  his  mother  and  sister  rushed  into  the 
room  screaming,  'The  earth  is  moving!  the  earth 
is  moving!"  Lucius  immediately  concluded  the 
awful  day  of  God's  wrath  had  arrived  and  he  be- 
gan to  tremble  wth  fear.  The  entire  family  rushed 
out  of  the  house,  and  upon  reaching  the  yard, 
they  heard  a  neighbor  screaming  for  mercy, 
then  a  woman  whose  husband  was  over  the  hill 
at  his  tobacco  barn,  began  to  blow  a  horn,  which 
was  a  signal  understood  by  them  that  he  was 
wanted  at  the  house.  As  she  blew  a  shrill  blast 
the  sound  almost  paralyzed  Lucius,  for  there 
was  no  doubt  in  his  mind  that  Gabriel  had  blown 
his  trumpet  and  Judgment  was  at  hand.  The 
brother  who  was  assisting  at  the  neighbor's 
rushed  into  the  yard  crying  for  mercy  so  loudly 
that  he  might  have  been  heard  a  mile  away.  The 
entire  neighborhood  began  to  pray  aloud,  the 
prayers  of  Christians  mingled  wath  praise,  while 
the  sinners  ''cried  to  the  rocks  and  mountains  to 
fall  on  them  and  hide  them  from  the  face  of  him 
that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb." 

It  was  afterward  learned  that  the  disturbance 
was  what  is  called  the  Charlestown  earthquake, 


28      LiFD  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

which  so  badly  wrecked  that  splendid  South  Caro- 
lina city.  As  a  result  of  that  dreadful  night's 
experience,  a  revival  of  religion  swept  through 
that  country.  The  mountaineer  preachers  took 
advantage  of  the  auspicious  season  and  conducted 
special  services  in  which  hundreds  were  con- 
verted. While  some  Christians  would  look 
askance  upon  a  revival  born  of  fear,  yet  the 
fruits  of  this  remarkable  revival  were  abundant 
and  permanent,  for  to  this  day,  thirty  years  later, 
there  are  those  who  date  their  conversion  back 
to  the  Charlestown  earthquake. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Can  a  Christian  Backsud:^? 

\\^en  Lucius  was  about  five  years  of  age,  a 
malady  which  threatened  to  develop  into  an 
incurable  disease  appeared  in  his  left  knee.  The 
affliction  was  then  known  as  the  "white  swell- 
ing," it  is  now  known  as  tuberculosis  of 
the  bone.  This  affliction  caused  the  boy  many 
years  of  great  suffering  and  the  necessity  of 
walking  with  the  aid  of  crutches.  The  physic- 
ians agreed  that,  in  all  probability,  he  would 
be  a  lifelong  cripple.  This  misfortune  was  a 
pathetic  handicap  in  the  lad's  childhood.  Out  of 
sympathy  for  thebo/s  condition,  the  family  petted 
and  indulged  him  in  most  of  his  whims  and  there- 
by, unwittingly,  increased  his  handicap  in  life  by 
encouraging  him  in  wilfulness  and  disobedience. 
And  then,  as  though  some  evil  genius  was  con- 
centrated upon   the   complete  wrecking   of  his 

29 


30      LiF^  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

prospects  in  life,  he  was  so  tongue-tied  that  it 
sometimes  required  as  vaHant  an  effort  for  him 
to  speak  his  own  name  as  for  an  army  to  take  a 
fortified  city. 

When  a  little  boy,  Lucius  gave  evidence  of  the 
possession  of  those  qualities  which,  under  God, 
were  to  develop  him  into  the  tender-hearted, 
sympathetic,  brotherly  man  which  have  given 
him  ready  access  to  the  hearts  of  thousands  of 
people  on  both  hemispheres.  He  was  passionately 
fond  of  all  of  God's  creatures — the  friend  and 
protector  of  all  the  birds,  dogs,  cats,  calves,  and 
pigs  of  the  neighborhood.  In  the  springtime  he 
frequently  worked  all  day  providing,  as  he  said, 
for  his  "orphants.^'  These  were  little  birds  which 
had  not  left  their  nests  and,  as  is  their  nature 
to  do,  when  he  would  make  his  presence  known, 
they  would  open  wide  their  mouths  and  set  up 
such  a  chatter  that  the  boy  would  conclude  that 
they  were  nearly  starved.  He  would  then  search 
about  under  logs  and  leaves  and  gather  worms 
and  bugs  and  cram  them  into  their  cavernous 
throats.  At  times,  he  would  provide  food  for 
eight  or  ten  bird  families,  for  days.  So  sincere 
was  his  love  of  the  birds  that,  when  there  would 
be  a  hard  downpour  of  rain  or  a  storm  in  the 
night  fearing  that  they  had  been  blown  out  of 


Thh:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         31 

their  nests,  he  would  cry  very  piteously  until, 
sometimes  before  he  could  be  quieted,  an  older 
brother  was  compelled  to  light  a  torch  and  march 
out  with  him  into  the  darkness  to  the  location 
of  the  nests  and  satisfy  him  that  all  was  well  with 
his  little  "orphants."  Those  youthful  tendencies 
were  an  augury  of  the  years  to  come  when  the 
tender-hearted  lad  should  be  the  founder  and 
supporter  of  institutions  that  would  provide 
loving  care  for  little  children  out  in  the  night 
and  storm,  with  no  place  to  go,  and  no  one  but 
God  to  care. 

An  example  of  the  lad's  natural  confidence 
in  God,  before  the  years  of  accountability  arrived 
and  sin  had  so  seriously  warped  his  young  life, 
is  seen  in  the  following  incident.  His  father  was 
a  victim  of  attacks  with  cramp-colic.  During 
one  of  these  attacks  the  physician  gave  him  up  to 
die,  telling  the  family  that  all  earthly  help  would 
not  avail  and,  unless  God  intervened,  there  was 
no  hope.  Lucius  and  his  little  brother  were  sitting 
upon  a  comfort  spread  out  before  the  fireplace 
when  the  doctor  made  this  announcement  and, 
instinctively,  they  turned  upon  their  knees  and 
began  to  pray  that  God  would  spare  their  father. 
Oblivious  of  all  about  them,  the  children  contin- 
ued to  supplicate  the  Throne  of  Grace.  Presently 


T,2       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

the  father  cried,  "Keep  on  praying,  boys,  the 
Lord  is  answering;  I  am  better  now!'*  Soon  the 
children's  tears  were  turned  to  laughter  for  their 
father  was  out  of  pain  and  on  the  road  to  com- 
plete recovery.  Lucius  has  never  doubted  that 
his  father's  life  was  spared  that  night  as  a  result 
of  the  prayers  of  his  brother  and  himself. 

When  Lucius  was  twelve  years  old,  he 
attended  a  series  of  revival  services  in  one  of 
the  churches  of  Clyde,  North  Carolina.  During 
these  services  a  great  desire  came  to  him  for  a 
personal  experience  of  heart-felt  religion  (the 
only  kind  the  people  of  that  country  and  of  those 
times  considered  worth  possessing).  In  those 
times  there  was  much  preaching  on  the  subject 
of  death.  Hell  and  judgment.  The  modern 
unbelief  of  the  inspiration  and  authority  of  the 
Scriptures  had  not  cursed  the  hearts  of  those 
humble  folks.  Lucius  became  very  miserable 
under  the  pressure  of  conviction  for  sin.  The 
text  used  one  night  was  from  the  first  chapter 
of  Proverbs:  "Because  I  have  called,  and  ye 
refused;  I  have  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no 
man  regarded ;  But  ye  have  set  at  nought  all  my 
counsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof;  I  also 
will  laugh  at  your  calamity;  I  will  mock  when 
your  fear  cometh."    Like  unerring  arrows  from 


COMPTON  WHE:n  a  CRIPPI^KD  BOY. 


The  Mountainker  Evangelist.         35 

the  bow  of  a  true  marksman,  that  message  found 
the  young  man's  heart.  Out  in  the  woods  in  the 
underbrush,  he  wrestled  with  his  sins  and  then, 
one  morning,  wlien  all  had  left  the  church  except 
his  mother  and  a  few  friends,  the  light  of  for- 
giveness appeared  to  him  and  a  great  peace  came 
into  his  heart. 

Lucius  became,  at  once,  a  very  enthusiastic 
Christian.  He  eagerly  witnessed  to  Christ's 
saving  grace  upon  every  occasion,  and,  with 
about  twenty-five  other  young  converts,  he  was 
baptised  and  united  with  the  Missionary  Baptist 
Church. 

It  is  with  regret  that  it  becomes  the  duty  of 
the  writer  to  record  here  the  story  of  Lucius' 
departure  from  the  path  upon  which  Christ  had 
placed  his  feet.  But,  in  the  interests  of  truth, 
the  story  of  this  period  of  his  life  must  be  told. 
If  truth  had  always  been  sacrificed  to  beauty  and 
sesthetical  taste,  and  God  had  wished  only  that 
men  know  the  golden  side  of  life,  we  would  not 
know  that  Abraham,  David  and  Peter  were  men 
with  "passions  like  unto  our  own,"  and  our  con- 
ception of  them  would  be  idealistic  and  super- 
ficial. In  the  warp  and  woof  of  every  life  there 
are  threads,  or  spans,  or  even  larger  areas,  which 
disclose  the  weaknesses  and  the  foibles  of  the 


2/S      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

saintliest  men;  which  reminds  us  that,  during 
our  probationary  allotment  of  years,  we  must  not 
trust  our  own  hands,  but  God's,  to  drive  the  loom 
and  weave  the  fabric  of  our  lives. 

Some  months  after  the  conversion  of  Lucius, 
his  father  asked  him  to  perform  some  task  which 
he  failed  to  do.  When  his  father  reprimanded 
him  for  his  disobedience,  a  resentful  spirit  sprang 
up  within  him,  and  so  deeply  did  the  discovery  of 
such  a  temper  grieve  him  that  he  hastened  to  a 
place  of  privacy  and  sought  help  from  God. 
When  he  asked  his  father  to  forgive  him,  his 
sense  of  religious  security  was  restored.  This 
was  the  first  personal  evidence  Lucius  had  of  the 
presence  of  the  carnal  nature  in  the  Christian's 
life.  Unhappily,  there  was  no  one  to  tell  him  that 
there  was  power  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
cleanse  him  from  all  sin  and  to  fill  his  life  with 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

Before  a  year  had  passed,  the  entire  com- 
munity seemed  to  have  lost  interest  in  spiritual 
matters.  The  prayer-meetings  had  dwindled 
down  to  a  fragment  of  what  they  had  been.  The 
young  people  who  had  been  ready  in  prayer  and 
testimony  were  now  spending  the  evenings  in  a 
worldly  manner,  using  tobacco,  dancing  and 
grieving  the  Holy  Spirit  in  many  other  ways. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         37 

Lucius  would  often  go  to  the  church  upon  prayer- 
meeting  nights  when  not  another  person  would 
come,  then  he  would  return  home,  in  great  dis- 
couragement. Satan  would  take  advantage  of 
these  times  of  depression  and  suggest  every- 
thing, from  ridicule  to  despair,  to  defeat  him.  He 
would  wander  through  the  forests  and,  as  he 
watched  the  stars  creeping  along  the  mountain 
ridges,  he  found  companionship  in  them,  for  they 
seemed  as  sad  and  lonely  as  his  own  troubled 
heart. 

The  by-paths  diverging  from  the  strait  and 
narrow  way  are  rugged  and  rough  at  the  begin- 
ing,  and  the  unhappy  traveler  finds  he  advances 
with  misgivings  and  trepidation  of  heart,  but  by- 
and-by  the  road  becomes  smoother,  the  decline 
steeper  and  the  traveler's  conscience  easier,  and 
then,  ere  he  is  aware,  he  finds  himself  in  the 
broad  way  with  the  godless  throngs.  Lucius 
struggled  against  the  downward  tendencies  for  a 
time,  but  at  last  he  reached  the  broad  road  and 
took  his  place  in  the  ranks  of  those  who  prefer  to 
march  under  the  black  flag  of  sin,  rather  than 
under  the  blood-stained  banner  of  the  cross  of 
Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sinning  against  the  Light. 

By  the  time  Lucius  had  reached  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,  he  had  developed  a  powerful 
physique  and  was  the  physical  equal  of  any  young 
man  of  his  years  among  those  sturdy  moun- 
taineer people.  The  afflicted  knee  that  had  been 
pronounced  incurable  had  become  strong  and 
the  crutches  were  thrown  away.  The  advance- 
ment of  the  young  man  in  wickedness  exceeded 
the  celerity  with  which  he  developed  physically. 
To  all  outward  appearances,  all  the  moral  and 
spiritual  restraints  of  his  life  had  become  shat- 
tered, and  with  dare-devil  abandonment,  he  was 
making  toward  the  goal  of  moral  corruption.  He 
became  so  unruly  that  his  parents  lost  their  con- 
trol of  him,  and  the  community  came  to  regard 
him  as  one  of  the  roughest  young  men  in  the 
country.     He  was  the  pivotal  point  on  which 

38 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         39 

trouble  balanced  and  a  fist  fight  with  kindred 
spirits  was  the  seasoning  in  his  daily  routine  that 
provided  the  spice  and  flavor  of  his  life.  He  was 
an  arresting  illustration  of  these  words  of  Christ : 
"The  unclean  spirit,  when  he  is  gone  out  of  a 
man,  passes  through  waterless  places,  seeking 
rest.  Then  goeth  he  and  tiaketh  seven  other 
tion,  and  the  young  man  listened  to  those  siren 
in  and  dwell  there :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man 
becometh  worse  than  the  first." 

Far-away  fields  now  called  loudly  for  explora- 
tion, and  the  young  man  listened  to  those  sirem 
voices.  On  a  day  he  summarily  left  home  for  any 
place  that  might  please  his  fancy.  At  this  time 
Vanderbilt  was  modeling  his  splendid  estate 
known  as  Biltmore  and  was  employing  hundreds 
of  workmen.  Lucius  secured  a  position  on  this 
estate  which,  in  all  probability,  was  the  program 
of  the  devil,  for  many  of  his  fellow-workmen 
were  as  utterly  abandoned  to  vice  as  the  devil 
ever  led  men  to  become.  Lucius  was  an  apt  pupil 
in  this  school  of  infamy,  and  it  was  not  long  ere 
he  was  competent  to  lead  those  who  had  been 
his  instructors. 

It  will  serve  no  good  purpose  to  itemize  the 
various  gradations  of  wickedness  into  which  he 
plunged.     Religion  came  to  be  regarded  by  him 


40       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

as  a  joke,  and  to  be  pointed  out  as  an  infidel  he 
considered  to  be  an  honor.  Every  dollar  of  his 
wages  he  squandered  in  riotous  living.  By  the 
time  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  his  parents 
were  in  constant  despair  because  of  the  seem- 
ingly hopeless  state  of  their  boy.  There  would 
have  been  a  measure  of  relief  to  his  kinsfolk  in 
learning  of  his  death,  for  they  were  always  ex- 
pecting to  receive  a  message  that  he  had  either 
been  accidentally  killed  or  brutally  murdered. 

One  Christmas  day  he  went  back  home  to  have 
a  spree  with  his  old  crowd.  While  he  was  pass- 
ing down  one  of  the  home  streets,  he  met  his 
father.  The  old  man's  face  was  deeply  lined 
with  care;  his  eyes  quickly  filled  with  tears,  and 
his  emotions  were  so  powerful  that  he  could  not 
speak  a  word.  Lucius  read  the  story  of  his  own 
guilt  between  the  rugged  lines  of  that  pure  old 
face,  and,  as  it  had  not  done  before  in  years,  his 
conscience  upbraided  him.  He  went  down  to 
the  old  log  cabin  to  see  his  mother  and,  as  long 
as  he  remained,  his  parents  could  not  repress  the 
evidences  of  their  deep  sadness  whenever  they 
spoke  his  name.  When  the  time  came  for  him 
to  leave,  he  planned  to  slip  away  without  saying 
a  parting  word,  for  he  dreaded  a  farewell  scene, 
but,  as  he  started  toward  the  door,  his  father, 


COMPTON  WHT?:N  a  YOUNG  I.ABORE:r. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         43 

alert  for  such  a  move,  intercepted  him  and  plac- 
ing his  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  said,  ''Son,  you 
may  never  get  back  to  see  your  old  parents  again, 
so  I  want  you  to  wait  until  we  have  prayer  with 
you.  You  have  broken  our  hearts  by  your  way- 
ward life,  but  we  will  follow  you  with  our  prayers 
until  you  come  back  to  God  or  die  in  your  sinful 
condition."  The  fragrance  of  those  prayers 
followed  him  through  the  years,  and  ultimately 
served,  along  with  other  instrumentalities  of 
God,  to  bring  the  prodigal  back  home. 

He  now  left  Biltmore  for  parts,  to  him, 
unknown.  He  wandered  from  place  to  place. 
He  tried  railroad  work. and  was  thrown  among 
immoral  and  godless  men  once  again.  He 
became  so  immune  to  all  of  the  tenderer  and 
nobler  qualities  of  mind  that  he  felt  no  serious 
concern  either  for  life  or  death. 

This  state  of  mind  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1893,  when,  one  evening,  he  had  an  arresting 
experience.  An  overpowering  load  of  contrition 
suddenly  came  upon  him  and,  in  spite  of  vigorous 
efforts  to  shake  off  the  load,  it  held  him  in  an 
unyielding  grip.  The  fear  of  dying  and  plunging 
into  Hell  tormented  his  mind  and  impelled  him 
to  earnest  efforts  to  pray.  All  the  night  long  he 
tossed  about  upon  his  bed  unable  to  find  relief  in 


44      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

sleep.  During  the  day  he  wandered  through  the 
fields  and  woods  in  an  endeavor  to  divert  his 
mind  from  its  unhappy  reflections.  Upon  falling 
asleep  one  night,  he  dreamed  that  he  was  borne 
to  the  bar  of  God.  Among  the  vast  throng  as- 
sembled there,  he  saw  his  father,  mother,  sister 
and  brothers — all  safe  at  God's  right  hand.  His 
name  was  called  to  appear  in  judgment,  and  he 
heard  his  mother  cry,  "O  God!  have  mercy  on 
my  wayward  boy."  The  Judge  answered,  "I 
have  exhausted  all  of  the  resources  of  mv  infi- 
nite  power  to  save  his  soul;  he  has  refused  to 
answer  my  calls,  and  disregarded  my  out- 
stretched hands;  therefore,  with  the  cursed,  he 
must  depart  into  everlasting  punishment.'' 

In  the  dream  Lucius  seemed  to  be  swiftly 
borne  Hellward  and  then  he  suddenly  awakened 
and  pled  with  God  to  have  mercy  upon  his  soul. 
He  promised  God  if  He  would  keep  him  out  of 
Hell  long  enough  for  him  to  be  saved,  he  would 
become  a  Christian.  He  was  accustomed  to 
giving  expression  to  words  of  profanity;  from 
this  habit  he  asked  God  to  deliver  him  at  once, 
and  never  after  did  an  oath  pass  his  lips.  His 
fellow-workmen  noticed  a  change  in  him,  and, 
particularly,    that  he   no   longer   used   profane 


The  Mountainee:r  Evangelist.         45 

language,  and  Lucius  frankly  told  them  of  his 
purpose  to  live  a  different  life. 

Every  day  the  desire  to  become  a  true  Chris- 
tian increased.  He  decided  to  go  back  to  North 
Carolina,  where  he  had  Christian  friends  who 
could  help  him  to  find  peace  in  trusting  God.  He 
returned  to  his  home  and  visited  his  parents  for 
awhile  and  then  married  Miss  Etta  Butler,  of 
Asheville,  North  Carolina,  a  devout  Christian 
young  woman,  w^hose  influence  over  him  had  been 
most  salutary.  From  the  first,  she  insisted  that 
their  married  life  should  be  conducted  on  Chris- 
tian principles,  and  thereby  she  strengthened 
him  in  his  purpose  to  lead  a  Christian  life. 

For  the  reader  to  appreciate  the  balance  of 
this  chapter,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Lucius 
was  at  this  time  an  illiterate,  uncouth  backwoods- 
man. L"^ncle  Josh  Simpkins,  from  Pumpkin 
Center,  Arkansas,  would  fit  as  well  into  a 
World's  Exposition  as  Lucius  Compton,  at  this 
period  of  his  life,  would  fit  into  the  clash  and 
clangor  of  a  great  cosmopolitan  city.  But  hav- 
ing heard  much  of  the  superior  opportunities  of 
the  city,  Lucius  decided  to  go  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  there  seek  that  illusive  mirage — his  fortune. 
We  may  anticipate  the  story  far  enough  to  say 
that  he  found  a  fortune  there — not  in  dollars. 


46      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

as  he  had  hoped,  but  in  the  riches  of  God's 
abounding  grace. 

Lucius  arrived  at  the  Union  Station  in  Cincin- 
nati at  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
sonorous  calHng  out  of  the  trains;  the  merciless 
banging  of  baggage;  the  clanging  of  the  break- 
fast gong;  the  jostling  crowds  everywhere; 
numerous  gates,  doors  and  stairways  all  contrib- 
uted to  the  young  man's  bewilderment.  There 
he  stood  with  his  mouth  (naturally  of  generous 
proportions)  stretched  to  the  fulfillment  of  the 
proverbial  exaggeration — from  "ear  to  ear."  His 
eyes  just  succeeded  in  avoiding  a  leap  into 
space;  his  baggy-kneed  trousers  were  a  full  foot 
above  the  pavement,  while  scarcely  that  distance 
below  his  knees ;  a  handkerchief  around  his  neck ; 
a  little  cap  set  on  the  edge  of  his  bushy  head 
and  his  little  valise  held  tenaciously  in  his  big  fist, 
for,  having  heard  something  of  the  perils  of  the 
city,  he  was  prepared  to  resist  any  city  pickpocket 
who  might  dare  to  attempt  to  grab  his  possessions 
and  make  away  with  them. 

Two  of  those  ubiquitous  city  newsboys  rushed 
up  to  him  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  street,  one 
of  them  shouting, 

"Hey,  there!  did  yer  come  through  high 
water?"    And  the  other  chimed  in, 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         47 

"Say,  wanter  job  as  runner?" 
A  crowd  began  to  gather  and  presently  it 
dawned  upon  Lucius  that  these  boys  were  having 
fun  at  his  expense,  and  just  as  he  concluded  to 
plunge  in  and  whip  the  whole  crowd,  a  man  with 
whiskers  and  a  numbered  cap,  driving  "a  funny 
wagon"  (as  Lucius  termed  it),  made  his  way 
through  the  crowd  and  enquired,  very  cour- 
teously, 

''Boy,  where  do  you  want  to  go?" 
Lucius  answered,  "I  want  ter  git  a  job." 
The  obliging  man  smilingly  said, 
"Just  get  into  my  cab  and  Til  take  you  where 
you  want  to  go." 

This  reminded  Lucius  of  the  hospitality  of 
the  people  back  among  the  mountains.  A  "homey" 
feeling  crept  over  him  as  he  clambered  into  the 
cab  and  was  being  hurried  away  from  his  tor- 
mentors. 

In  about  five  minutes  the  vehicle  was 
brought  to  a  stop  and  the  obliging  driver  hurried 
down  to  open  the  door  and  let  'his  passenger  out. 
As  Lucius  stepped  out,  not  to  be  outdone  in  the 
use  of  courteous  epithets,  grinning  good-natur- 
edly, he  said, 

"Thank  yer,  sir,"  and  started  away. 


48      LiFD  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

He  had  taken  but  a  few  steps  when  the  cab- 
man laid  his  hands  upon  him,  saying, 

"One  dollar,  please;  one  dollar/' 

"One  dollar!"  exclaimed  Lucius,  "what  yer 
want  a  dollar  fer?" 

"One  dollar  for  the  services  of  this  cab,  sir/' 
insisted  the  man. 

"Why,  yer  didn't  hawl  me  a  half  mile ;  I  never 
got  a  dollar  for  a  whole  day's  work  in  my  life; 
yer  caint  rob  me  like  that,"  said  Lucius. 

Lucius  had  a  pair  of  old  brass  cuff  buttons  in 
his  pocket  and  taking  them  out  he  offered  them 
to  the  cabman.  A  crowd,  which  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  dialogue,  had  gathered  by  this 
time.  At  this  juncture  a  policeman  pushed 
through  the  crowd  and  demanded  an  explanation 
of  the  trouble. 

"Well,"  said  Lucius,  "I  just  got  into  this  here 
town  and  two  mean  kids  tried  ter  raise  a  fuss 
with  me;  then  this  here  fellow  axed  me  ter  ride 
in  his  wagon,  and  when  we  got  ter  this  place  he 
wanted  a  dollar  fer  the  ride.  I  offered  ter  swap 
these  here  cuff  buttons  fer  the  ride,  but  the  man 
won't  swap.  I  think  the  buttons  are  a  good  swap 
fer  the  wagon  driver." 

While  the  crowd  was  almost  convulsed  with 
laughter,  the  officer  took  the  cuff  buttons  and. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         49 

handing  them  to  the  discomfited  extortioner, 
ordered  him  to  drive  on,  and  left  Lucius  to  pursue 
the  uneven  tenor  of  his  way. 

Lucius  w^andered  about  with  his  vaHse  for  a 
long  time  and,  straining  his  neck  and  his  eyes 
in  frantic  endeavor  to  see  everything  at  once, 
he  at  last  discovered  that  he  had  a  ravenous 
appetite.  He  stepped  into  a  fine  cafe  and  was 
given  a  seat  at  one  of  the  snowy  white  tables.  A 
young  woman  presented  him  with  an  elaborate 
menu  and  stood  by,  like  a  statue,  awaiting  his 
order.  Now  Lucius  couldn't  have  read  his  own 
name  had  it  appeared  upon  the  card,  much  less 
the  intricate  French,  German  and  Latin  food 
designations.  After  a  long,  painful  silence, 
Lucius  said, 

"Lookie  here,  leddie,  I  cum  here  fer  me  dinner. 
Please  fetch  me  a  good  un.'' 

There  was  no  mistake  about  the  excellent 
quality  of  the  dinner  and  when  Lucius  received 
the  change  from  the  dollar  he  handed  the  cashier, 
he  thought  that  another  cabman  deal  was  being 
worked  on  him.  As  he  left  the  cafe,  he  tried  to 
figure  out  the  number  of  meals  he  could  procure 
in  the  city  at  the  rate  of  the  one  just  consumed, 
and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  better 


50       hiT^t  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

get  back  to  the  mountains,  for  a  few  more  would 
leave  him  penniless. 

After  another  long  sight-seeing  expedition,  he 
decided  to  find  a  place  where  he  could  leave  his 
valise  and  secure  a  room  for  the  night.    He  finally 
found  the  Germania  Hotel,  where  he  left  his  load 
and  started  forth  again  to  view  the  city.     After 
tramping  about  for  a  couple  of  hours,  he  decided 
to  return  to  the  hotel  and  go  to  bed.     But  alas! 
he  had  forgotten  both  the  name  of  the  hotel  and 
the   street   upon   which   it   was   located.     After 
desperate  efiforts  to  recollect  the  name,  at  last, 
there  flashed  into  his  mind  a  slang  expression, 
with  which  he  had  been  long  familiar.     It  was, 
"By  Jimminy!"  Jimminy  Hotel!     He  was  sure 
he  had  the  name  and  he  began  to  enquire  for 
"Hotel  Jimminy,''  but  nobody  seemed  to  know 
where  that  hotel  was  located.     In  fact,  he  was 
unable  to  find  anybody  that  had  ever  heard  of 
its  existence.    It  had  gotten  late  and  the  crowds 
were  thinning  out  upon  the  streets  and  still  no 
one  had  given  him  the  slightest  clue  to  the  location 
of  his  hotel.     Finally  Lucius  accosted  a  strag- 
gling negro  and  asked  him  if  he  could  please 
tell    him    where    he    could    find    Hotel    Jim- 
miny.   The  negro  assured  him  that  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  all  of  the  city  hotels,  but  that 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.         51 

he  had  never  heard  of  that  one.  The  negro 
started  on,  but  stopping  in  a  moment,  he  said 
"There  is  a  hotel  here  called  the  Germania." 
Lucius  knew  at  once  that  that  was  the  correct 
name  and  he  was  soon  there  and  securely  locked 
in  his  room. 

Before  he  got  to  sleep,  Lucius  decided  that 
the  city  was  not  the  place  for  him,  for  he  had 
been  in  trouble  from  the  moment  he  had  gotten 
off  of  the  train,  and  had  been  traveling  around 
the  city  for  hours  inquiring  for  a  hotel  that  never 
existed! 


CHAPTER  IV. 
WaIvKing  in  the:  Light. 

Mr.  Compton,  notwithstanding  the  experi- 
ences recorded,  decided  to  remain  in  Cincinnati, 
so  he  procured  a  room  on  the  fifth  floor  of  a 
tenement  building.  He  purchased,  for  two 
dollars,  a  folding  couch  to  serve  for  a  bed;  and 
for  one  dollar  and  a  half  he  procured  a  small 
stove.  He  used  a  box  for  a  table,  another  box 
for  a  cupboard  and  a  tomato  can  for  a  coffee-pot. 
A  skillet,  a  chair,  a  few  dishes  and  some  bed- 
clothes completed  the  furnishings  of  his  room. 
The  dishes  and  bedding  were  sent  to  him  from 
North  Carolina  by  his  wife.  The  following  is  an 
account  of  his  religious  experiences  Vv^hile  he 
lived    in  this  room,  as  often  related  by  himself. 

"I  now  set  out  in  earnest  to  seek  and  find  God. 
I  prayed  as  best  I  could,  but  it  seemed  that  I  could 
never  find  peace,  for  the  dark  six  years  of  my 

52 


The:  Mountainkkr  Evange:list.  53 

wasted  life  strongly  condemned  me.  I  wandered 
over  the  city  some  days  like  a  man'  in  despair  and 
at  night  I  would  go  up  to  my  little  room  and  weep 
and  pray.  I  heard  the  ding-dong  of  the  city 
clocks  as  they  pealed  out  the  lonely  hours  of 
twelve,  one,  two  and  three — every  hour  seemed 
as  long  as  a  day.  Sometimes  a  footstep  on  the 
street  below  added  to  the  loneliness  and  distress 
of  my  mind.  Having  heard  of  a  mission  on  Plum 
Street,  I  decided  to  go  down  there  to  a  service. 
In  that  place  I  saw  men  and  women  who  told  how 
God  had  saved  them  when  drunkards,  har- 
lots, gamblers,  and  wife-and-family  deserters. 
While  their  faces  were  ofttimes  physically  marred 
by  lives  of  profligacy,  many  of  them  seemed  to 
shine  like  the  glory  of  Heaven.  Oh!  how  I 
wanted  such  a  salvation.  I  told  them  I,  too,  was 
a  mother's  poor  boy,  far  from  home  and  far  from 
God,  and  I  wanted  to  be  saved.  When  I  sat 
down  one  of  the  leaders  sang: 

**  'At  home  or  abroad,  in  the  alley  or  street, 
Wherever  I  chance  in  this  wide  world  to  meet 
A  ^rl  who  is  thou?htless.  a  boy  that  is  wild. 
My  heart  echoes  softly,  ''Tt  is  some  mother's  child." 

**  'And  when  I  see  those  o'er  whom  long  years  have 
rolled, 
Whose  hearts  have  been  hardened,  whose  spirits  are 
cold, 


54       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Be  it  a  woman  all  fallen,  or  man  all  defiled, 

A  voice  whispers  sadlj^  ''It  is  some  mother's  child." 

**  'No  matter  how  deep  he  is  sunken  in  sin; 
No  matter  how  much  he  is  shunned  by  his  kin ; 
No  matter  how  foul  is  his  fountain  of  joy; 
Tho'  guilty  and  loathsome,  he  is  some  mother's  boy. 

**  'That  head  hath  been  pillowed  on  tenderest  breast; 
That  form  hath  been  wept  o'er,  those  lips  have  been 

pressed ; 
That  soul  hath  been  prayed  for  in  tones  sweet  and 

mild. 
For  her  sake  deal  gently  with  some  mother's  child.* 

"So  deeply  was  I  affected  by  this  service,  and 
the  other  agencies  of  the  Holy  Spirit  bearing 
upon  my  heart,  that  I  settled  it  forever  that  night, 
that  I  would  belong  to  Jesus  Christ.  While 
walking  down  one  of  the  principal  streets  the 
following  afternoon,  I  received  the  witness  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  my  acceptance  with  God.  With 
my  heart  overflowing  with  joy,  I  hastened  to 
have  the  good  news  sent  to  my  wife  and  parents. 
I  returned  to  the  mission  and,  although  the  devil 
reminded  me  that  I  was  tongue-tied  and  ignor- 
ant, I  arose  and,  stammeringly  and  tremblingly, 
endeavored  to  tell  what  God  had  done  for  me. 
The  public  confession  of  Christ  brought  me  great 
comfort  and  strength  and  I  boked  forward 
eagerly  every  day  for  the  arrival  of  the  hour  for 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.  55 

the  mission  service,  where  I  should  have  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  and  work  and  pray  for  Jesus." 
Mr.  Conipton  soon  had  his  wife  come  to  him 
and  they  spent  the  winter  of  1895  in  the  humhle 
Httle  room  in  the  great  tenement  building.  This 
was  a  severe  winter  with  heavy  snows  and  bitter 
cold  prevailing.  Only  God  knows  the  suffering 
of  Cincinnati's  poor  that  winter.  The  Comptons 
felt  keenly  its  merciless  sting.  Many  days  they 
were  compelled  to  subsist  upon  ten  or  fifteen 
cents'  worth  of  food.  Many  of  the  families  living 
around  them  were  sustained  at  the  city's  expense. 
But  the  Comptons  determined  to  trust  in  God 
and  do  all  they  could  to  maintain  themselves. 
In  the  most  trying  exigencies,  God  never  failed 
them  and  He  opened  up  doors  of  opportunity  to 
earn  something  when  there  seemed  to  be  none 
anywhere. 

'  The  passion  with  which  God  had  filled  Mr. 
Compton's  heart  demanded  expression  in  Chris- 
tian service.  There  were  about  fifty  families 
living  in  the  building  with  them,  and  most  of 
them  afforded  good  material  for  religious  effort. 
They  visited  these  families  and  endeavored,  by 
singing,  prayer  and  conversation,  to  bring  them 
to  Christ.  Many  of  those  humble  folks  never 
entered  a  church  and  their  hearts,  unhardened  to 


56      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

religious  appeals,  were  comparatively  easily  lead 
to  Christ.  Mr.  Compton's  lack  of  educational 
advantages  was  a  great  handicap  in  this  work, 
for  he  had  to  depend  upon  others  to  read  the 
Bible;  whenever  he  did  undertake  to  read,  the 
little  children  would  laugh  at  him,  for  most  of 
them  could  read  more  accurately  than  he. 

As  a  general  thing,  when  the  devil  sees  that  a 
Christian  worker  is  likely  to  greatly  damage  his 
interests,  he  sets  out  to  ruin  his  influence  by 
inspiring  somebody  with  evil  suspicions  which 
are  soon  formulated  into  lies.  Mr.  Compton  has, 
like  many  another  upright  man,  suffered  very 
keenly  from  such  misrepresentations.  His  first 
introduction  to  this  type  of  demoniacal  proced- 
ure came  during  his  most  effective  work  among 
the  tenement  families.  A  rumor  was  circulated 
through  the  building  that  the  woman  Mr.  Comp- 
ton was  living  with  was  not  his  wife.  After  this 
report  had  been  disproved,  an  effort  was  made 
to  have  them  ejected  from  the  building  on  the 
grounds  that  so  much  singing  and  praying  dis- 
turbed the  people's  rest.  At  last  it  became  neces- 
sary to  confine  the  services  to  their  own  room, 
but  even  when  thus  circumscribed,  they  accom- 
plished great  good. 

It  was  while  living  in  this  tenement  room 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         57 

that  little  Marietta,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton's 
only  child,  was  born.  She  lived  until  she  was 
five  years  old.  The  necessity  of  Mr.  Compton 
remaining  at  home  had  reduced  them  to  the  last 
cent,  and  had  he  been  able  to  get  away,  he  knew 
of  no  place  to  procure  work.  Dow^n  beside  the 
couch  on  which  the  wife  and  baby  lay,  he  prayed 
the  Heavenly  Father  to  remember  them  in  this 
their  hour  of  need.  In  addition  to  being  without 
food,  the  rental  for  the  room  was  due  the  next 
morning.  Mrs.  Compton's  condition  made  it 
imperative  that  he  remain  with  her  the  following 
morning.  They  had  recourse  only  to  prayer,  and 
they  assured  God  of  their  unfaltering  trust  in 
Him.  Answering  a  rap  at  the  door,  the  postman 
handed  in  a  letter  w'hich  contained  a  five-dollar 
bill.  A  brief  note  explained  that  the  donor 
felt  divinely  impressed  that  they  were  in  need.  A 
miniature  camp-meeting  broke  out  in  that  humble 
room  in  which  there  were  prayers  and  praises 
mingled  with  shouts  and  tears.  This  incident 
is  particularly  interesting  for  it  proved  to  be  the 
beginning  of  a  life  of  faith  and  prayer  that  has 
resulted  in  thousands  of  dollars  being  placed  in 
Mr.  Compton's  hands  for  the  maintenance  of  his 
extensive  Christian  enterprises. 

About  this  time  a  Christian  man  from  New- 


58       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

port,  Kentucky,  called  upon  the  Comptons  and, 
observing  that  there  was  no  bed  in  the  room,  he 
offered  them  one  if  ]\Ir.  Compton  would  have 
it  brought  over.  Mr.  Compton  made  two  trips 
across  the  Ohio  river  to  Newport,  a  distance  of 
a  mile  and  a  half,  and  carried  the  bed  to  their 
room.  Several  weeks  passed  before  they  were 
able  to  procure  a  set  of  springs,  but  without  the 
springs  the  bed  was  a  considerable  improvement 
over  the  old  couch. 

Mr.  Compton  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  man 
whom  God  had  saved  from  the  depths  of  sin. 
He  had  served  in  the  city  w^orkhouse  and  in  the 
State  prison  for  law-breaking.  When  the  Lord 
saved  him,  he  returned  to  his  wife,  whom  he  had 
deserted  eleven  years  before.  God  had  enabled 
him,  although  without  any  educational  advant- 
ages, to  read  the  Bible;  and  he  had  become  an 
effective  street  preacher.  He  invited  Mr.  Comp- 
ton to  attend  a  street  service  he  was  to  hold  on 
Sunday  afternoon  under  the  Court  Street  market- 
house.  When  Mr.  Compton  arrived,  a  large 
crowd  had  gathered.  After  several  songs  and  a 
prayer,  the  leader  announced  that  there  was  a 
young  man  from  the  mountains  of  North  Caro- 
lina who  would  address  them.  Tremblingly  and 
with  great  embarrassment,  Mr.  Compton  began 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.  59 

to  relate  his  Christian  experience.     God  blessed 
his  testimony  and  many  hearts  were   touched. 
A  number  professed  conversion  in  the  service. 
It  was  upon  this  occasion  that  one  of  Mr.  Comp- 
ton's  most  remarkable  experiences  came  to  him. 
He  had  been  tongue-tied  and  a  stammerer  from 
childhood.    He  told  the  leader  of  the  meeting-  that 
he  could  not  make  a  public  talk.     The  man  en- 
couragingly   replied,    ''Stutter    for    Jesus,    my 
brother.''     During  the  half  hour   of  that  first 
public  address,  Mr.  Compton  did  not  stutter  and 
never  has  done  so  to  this  day.     He  received  the 
type  of  gift  of  tongues  that  has  been  of  inestima- 
ble value  to  him  throughout  his  life,  as  well  as  an 
untold  blessing  to  multitudes  who  have  heard  him 
declare,  so  powerfully,  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Divine  Truth.     This  experience  encouraged  him 
to  continue  this  type  of  Christian  work,  which  he 
did  in  a  highly  successful  manner. 

He  had  an  appointment  to  speak  at  the  Market 
one  Sunday  afternoon.  The  day  before  he  had 
burst  one  of  his  shoes  across  the  toe  so  that  the 
side  of  his  foot  was  exposed.  He  had  been  tell- 
ing the  people  how  wonderfully  God  was  supply- 
ing all  of  his  needs.  The  devil  told  him  if  he 
went  out  and  preached  in  that  shoe  the  people 
would  say,  "Oh,  yes,  look  at  his  foot;  that's  the 


6o       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

way  the  Lord  takes  care  of  him!"  He  vainly 
searched  for  some  excuse  to  stay  at  home.  He 
daubed  blacking  over  the  shoe  and  exposed  sock, 
thinking  that  this  would  cover  his  poverty.  Just 
before  he  reached  the  place  where  he  was  to 
speak,  he  looked  down  at  his  shoe,  and  found  that 
the  sock  had  slipped  from  its  former  position  and 
part  of  the  white  showed  and  also  a  part  that  was 
daubed  with  blacking.  He  turned  to  go  back 
home,  but  upon  second  thought  decided  that 
would  not  do.  He  slipped  into  a  building  and, 
after  a  period  of  reflection,  decided  to  proceed 
to  the  service  and  tell  the  story  of  salvation,  if 
he  had  to  go  barefoot.  Never  before  had  he 
preached  with  more  liberty  and  power  than  that 
day.  Several  sinners  knelt  upon  the  street  and 
prayed  through  to  victory.  God  permitted  him 
to  pass  through  the  shoe  test  on  Sundav  and  re- 
warded him  with  a  new  pair  upon  the  following 
day. 

The  weather  turned  extremely  cold  and  there 
was  a  heavy  downfall  of  snow.  Hundreds  of  the 
city's  poor  were  suffering.  There  seemed 
to  be  five  men  clamoring  for  every  job.  Mr- 
Compton  searched  near  and  far  for  work,  with- 
out success.  One  morning  came  when  his  wife 
and  baby  ate  the  last  bite.     This  was  the  time  of 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         6i 

last  things — the  last  cent  was  gone,  the  last  piece 
of  bread  was  gone,  and  the  last  lump  of  coal  was 
upon  the  grate.  They  had  started  to  live  a  life 
of  faith,  and  they  expected  God  to  come  to  their 
help.  Mr.  Compton  started  up  town.  He  heard 
a  call  from  someone,  but,  having  so  few  acquaint- 
ances in  the  city,  he  did  not  suspect  that  he  was 
meant.  Presently  the  call  was  repeated,  and, 
turning  around,  he  saw  a  stranger  motioning  for 
him  to  stop.  The  stranger  said,  "I  have  heard 
you  preach  upon  the  street  and  I  want  to  help 
you  a  little;"  with  that  he  handed  Mr.  Compton 
some  money  and  left  him.  He  hurried  back  home 
and,  upon  his  arrival,  he  found  a  load  of  coal  had 
been  placed  under  his  steps.  Mrs.  Compton  told 
him  that  she  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  donor, 
but  word  accompanied  the  coal  that  it  was  a  gift 
to  them.  How  their  hearts  were  filled  with 
thankfulness!  An  hour  before,  they  had  no 
money,  no  bread,  no  fuel,  and  now  they  had 
plenty  of  each  for  present  necessities. 

While  standing  in  the  doorway  watching  the 
passers-by,  Mr.  Compton  heard  some  children 
laughing  at  a  woman  who  was  staggering  along 
the  street.  He  saw  that  she  was  about  to  fall  to 
the  ground,  so  he  called  his  wife,  and  going  out 
they  found  her  prostrate  at  their  corner.     They 


62      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

carried  her  in  and  placed  her  upon  their  bed. 
She  did  not  have  the  appearance  of  one  that  had 
spent  her  life  in  vice  and  there  was  no  odor  of 
liquor  upon  her,  so  they  concluded  that  she  must 
be  the  victim  of  some  conspiracy.  vShe  lay  in  a 
state  of  unconsciousness  for  ten  hours;  coming 
to  herself  then,  she  told  her  story.  It  was  the 
same  old  story  of  a  human  devil  pretending  love 
and  then  drugging  her  in  order  to  take  sinful 
advantage  of  her.  She,  happily,  suspected  his 
intention  and  was  making  her  escape  when  they 
picked  her  up  from  the  street.  She  was  soon 
safely  returned  to  her  own  people. 

There  was  particular  significance  in  this  bit 
of  rescue  work,  as  it  proved  the  firstfruits  of  an 
organized  rescue  system  which  the  Comptons 
were,  after  a  few  years,  to  conduct  in  an  extensive 
and  permanent  way. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Entering  the  Ministry. 

There  is  probably  not  an  ecclesiastical  body 
in  America  that  would  have  accepted  Lucius  B. 
Compton  into  its  ministerial  ranks  when  God 
first  gave  him  a  clear  call  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
Not  one  of  these  bodies  could  have  been  justly 
censured  for  turning  the  young  aspirant  down. 
God  scarcely  discerns  the  shapeless  clay;  He  sees 
afar  where  the  finished  product  is  admired  and 
appreciated.  When  He  said  to  those  swarthy- 
skinned  fishermen  by  Galilee,  "Leave  your  nets 
and  follow  me/'  He  saw  the  irresistible  preacher 
of  Pentecost,  the  saintly  seer  of  Patmos,  and  the 
martyr  at  the  hands  of  Herod  Agrippa.  When 
He  called  Lucius  B.  Compton,  He  saw  all  that 
men  did,  and  more — very,  very  much  more.  God 
discovered  in  the  uncouth  mountaineer  one  who, 
under   Divine  tutelage,  would  swing  across  a 

63 


64       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

continent  like  a  flame  of  fire,  winning  to  Chris- 
tianity thousands  and  thousands.  God  saw  in 
that  dauntless  young  spirit  incipient  potencies 
that  could  be  trained  to  stand  unflinchingly  in  the 
hottest  fires,  until  splendid  institutions  should 
be  born  and  fostered  to  sturdy  growth  and  sub- 
stantial competence;  and,  who  can  tell  that 
which  God  saw  besides?  He  liked  better  than 
either,  a  humble  spirit  that  success  and  honor 
could  not  pufT  up,  but  would  actually  enrich  in  all 
the  qualities  of  Christian  grace. 

Basing  their  judgment  upon  the  apparent  and 
the  plausible,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  men 
should  have  endeavored  (as  they  honestly 
thought),  to  disillusion  him  of  the  preposterous 
notion  of  becoming  a  preacher  ?  Discouragement 
tests  the  material  of  which  our  faith  is  made. 
These  things,  w^hich  appear  to  be  insuperable 
barriers  in  prospect,  are  seen  to  be  ministering 
angels  in  retrospect.  In  order  to  do  the  work  to 
which  God  had  called  him,  Compton  plowed 
through  soil  that,  like  the  rugged  mountain-sides 
of  his  native  land,  was  mostly  rock  and  root; 
but,  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  he  has  never 
turned  back.  That  element  of  his  character — 
beating  steadily  Godward — is  the  quality  which, 
under  God,  has  made  him  what  he  is. 


COMPTON  RIDING  IN  A  SNOWSTORM  TO  A  WlvST- 
KRN    NORTH    CAROLINA  APPOINTxMKNT. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         67 

A  gentleman  who  had  been  a  teacher  in  a 
BibHcal  Institute,  who  lived  seven  miles  out  in  a 
suburb  of  Cincinnati,  offered  to  give  Mr.  Comp- 
ton  some  private  help  one  night  each  week  in  his 
home.  Although  he  was  compelled  to  walk  the 
distance  sometimes,  he  gladly  availed  himself  of 
this  opportunity  to  be  taught  the  Scriptures.  One 
evening  the  gentleman  said,  ''Brother  Compton, 
why  are  you  so  eager  to  understand  the  Bible? 
Have  you  the  idea  of  becoming  a  preacher?  I 
feel  that  I  ought  to  say  that,  if  you  have  such  an 
idea,  you  should  give  it  up,  for  these  are  days 
when  churches  demand  educated  ministers." 

It  was  plain  enough  that  the  man  had  no  faith 
in  Compton's  capacity  to  absorb  enough  know- 
ledge to  fill  the  bill  of  requirements  for  a  modern 
minister.  Lucius  started  his  long  walk  home- 
ward that  night  absorbed  in  unhappy  reflections. 
Here  was  a  man  who  had  trained  many  young 
people  for  Christian  work,  who  had  frankly  told 
him  he  did  not  regard  him  as  competent  to  equip 
himself  for  the  work  he  so  fully  intended  to 
undertake.  As  long  as  Compton  looked  within 
himself,  he  came  more  and  more  to  the  same 
opinion  and  dark  discouragement  came  upon  him; 
but  after  awhile  he  lifted  his  eyes  to  Heaven's 
starry  spaces,  and  said,  *'0  my  Father,  art  Thou, 


68       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

too,  discouraged  with  me?"  His  answer  was  a 
great  peace,  and  a  gentle  urging  forward. 

Mr.  Compton's  pastor  questioned  him  closely. 
''What  is  to  become  of  your  wife  and  child  while 
you  are  away  from  them?"  said  he.  Mr.  Comp- 
ton replied  that  he  was  sure  God  would  take  care 
of  them.  The  good  man  then  quoted  St.  James, 
''He  who  provideth  not  for  his  own  family  is 
worse  than  an  infidel."  He  then  asked,  "Where 
do  you  intend  to  begin  your  Christian  work?" 
Mr.    Compton    replied,    "I    expect   to   take    the 

steamboat  to-night  to  A and  begin  at  once 

to  ask  men  to  prepare  to  meet  God."  The  per- 
plexed preacher,  concluding  that  his  young 
parishioner  had  become  seriously  unbalanced  up- 
on the  subject  of  religion,  left  him,  feeling  gen- 
uinely sorry  for  him. 

A  minister  from  a  rural  section  of  Kentucky 
happened  to  be  in  Cincinnati  in  search  of  a  man 
who  could  assist  him  in  a  grove  meeting  he  was  to 
conduct  in  his  parish.  He  was  introduced  to  Mr. 
Compton  and  (with  some  misgivings)  engaged 
him.  After  a  long  journey,  twelve  miles  of  which 
was  by  carriage,  they  reached  their  destination. 
The  pastor's  wife,  thinking  doubtlessly  that  Mr. 
Compton  w^as  a  stranger  whom  her  husband  had 
invited  to  ride  with  him,  said,  "Couldn't  you  find 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         69 

a  helper?"  The  pastor  repHed,  "This  is  Mr.  Comp- 
ton,  who  is  to  help  us."  The  woman's  counte- 
nance fell  and  all  hope  of  a  meeting  left  her  face, 
and,  doubtless,  also  her  heart.  So  great  was 
her  mortification  over  the  type  of  helper  her 
husband  had  procured,  she  could  scarcely  treat 
the  stranger  courteously.  After  supper  the 
pastor  and  Compton  w^ent  to  the  grove,  where 
arrangements  had  been  made  for  the  meeting, 
and  immediately  the  preacher  was  questioned 
concerning  his  helper.  Mr.  Compton  learned 
that  the  only  consolation  the  man  could  give  them 
was,  "This  is  the  best  I  could  do."  Mr.  Compton, 
at  this  time,  made  no  attempts  to  preach  textual 
or  homiletic  sermons,  but  in  his  inexperienced 
and  humble  way  he  endeavored  to  tell  what  Jesus 
Christ  had  done  for  him.  There  was  no  doubt 
of  the  effectiveness  of  his  methods,  for  the  hearts 
of  his  hearers  were  often  deeply  moved  and  tears 
\\^re  frequently  seen  to  flow  in  his  services.  Mr. 
Compton  grew  in  the  estimation  of  the  people 
from  day  to  day.  They  gave  him  money  to 
return  to  Cincinnati  and  get  his  wife  and  baby. 
The  attendance  became  very  great  and  many 
folks  professed  conversion. 

An  invitation  to  assist  in  a  meeting  in  an 
adjoining  county  was  accepted.    The  community 


yo      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

sustained  the  reputation  of  being  hardened  and 
obdurate.  Just  awhile  before  Compton's  arrival 
there  had  been  a  difficulty  between  the  members 
of  the  church,  in  w^hich  the  pastor  had  been 
struck  in  the  face.  Compton  was  not  long  in 
discovering  that  one  of  the  ring-leaders  in  wick- 
edness was  a  woman  who  made  herself  prominent 
in  the  meetings.  She  invited  Mr.  Compton  to  be 
her  guest  at  dinner  one  day,  and,  so  generous  was 
she,  that  she  not  only  gave  him  a  good  dinner, 
but  also  the  pedigree  of  nearly  everybody  in  the 
church.  It  is  superfluous  to  say  that  up  in  every 
family  tree  she  described  a  buzzard.  Mr.  Comp- 
ton, not  having  had  the  advantage  of  a  Seminary 
training  in  suavity  and  prudence  (?),  said,  "My 
sister,  from  what  I  have  been  able  to  discover, 
I  don't  believe  there  is  anybody  in  this  community 
worse  than  yourself.  You  need  to  confess  your 
own  sins  and  get  rig'ht  with  God." 

The  morning  of  the  second  Sunday  of  the 
meeting,  up  to  which  time  there  had  been  but 
meager  results,  Compton  spent  hours  in  impor- 
tunate prayer.  He  asked  God  to  break  up  that 
meeting  in  power,  and  also  to  give  him,  for  the 
morning  hour,  a  sermon  that  would  make  the 
hearers  feel  that  God  Himself  was  dealing  with 
their  souls.     The  church  was  packed  that  day, 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.  71 

and  God  seemed  to  possess  the  preacher  in  an 
extraordmary  manner.  During  the  bhstering 
denunciation  of  the  sins  which  Compton  declared 
were  damning  the  people  wholesale,  the  husband 
of  the  woman  he  had  reproved  a  few  days  before, 
arose  and  cried,  "Wt  are  all  condemned,  there 
is  no  time  to  spare,  let  all  of  us  cry  to  God  for 
mercy!"  The  space  about  the  chancel  was 
quickly  crowded  with  penitents  and  the  revival 
spread  for  miles  around. 

Mr.   Compton   started  a  revival  in  a   small 
Methodist  church  in  a  Kentucky  hamlet  about 
eight  miles  distant  from  a  railroad.     A  few  rods 
from  the  church  lived  a  man  of  wealth  and  posi- 
tion, in  a  house  befitting  his  means.     The  man 
was  the  leading  physician  in  that  country.     He 
opposed  religious  meetings  and  was  much  pro- 
voked that  this  one  should  be  held  so  close  to  his 
residence.    The  doctor  sent  word  asking  Compton 
to  please  close  the  meeting,  and,  by  all  means,  to 
''quit  ringing  that  screeching  bell."    Mr.  Comp- 
ton replied  that  the  meeting  seemed  to  be  greatly 
needed  in  the  community  and  therefore  would 
continue  two  weeks.    The  doctor  then  wanted  to 
know  how  much  money  he  expected  to  receive  for 
''the  racket  he  was  making  there,"  and  prom^ised 
that  he  would  give  him. more  to  stop  the  meetings 


y2      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

than  the  community  would  to  continue  them.  He 
said  he  would  give  him  enough  corn  to  keep  his 
"poor  old  horse"  for  months.  Compton  assured 
him  that  he  was  seeking  neither  corn  nor  money, 
but  precious  souls. 

Now  the  doctor,  evidently  intent  on  stopping 
the  meeting,  had  a  platform  erected  on  his  lawn 
and  procured  several  musicians  to  play  each 
night.  He  provided  beer  in  generous  quantities 
and  invited  all  the  people  to  partake.  The  devil 
seemed  to  have  a  more  successful  revival  in  the 
doctor's  yard  than  the  pastor  and  evangelist  in 
the  little  church,  for  the  meeting  closed  without 
having  aroused  any  considerable  interest. 

On  Tuesday  after  the  meeting  closed,  the 
doctor  remarked  to  his  wife  that  he  was  feeling 
badly;  Wednesday  he  was  an  awfully  sick  man, 
and  Thursday  two  specialists  were  called  to 
attend  him  from  the  city.  The  physicians  found 
him  in  a  very  critical  condition  and  frankly  told 
the  family  that,  if  he  had  not  done  so,  he  had 
better  adjust  his  affairs,  as  the  end  might  come 
very  soon.  When  the  wife  broke  this  news  to 
him,  the  doctor  said  that  the  most  important 
thing  for  him  was  to  see  Preacher  Compton. 
"You  know,''  said  he,  "how  I  opposed  Compton 
and  the  meeting  and  how  I  tried  to  buy  him  off. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         y^^ 

His  words,  as  they  came  through  the  open  win- 
dows of  the  church,  fell  on  my  conscience  like 
coals  of  fire.  I  ridiculed  the  meeting,  and  hired 
musicians  to  come  here  and  drown  the  preacher's 
voice.  You  know  how  I  have  argued  the  non- 
existence! of  Hell  and  against  consciousness  after 
death ;  now  I  want  to  retract  every  word.  I  have 
lived  wickedly;  I  have  talked  wickedly;  I  am 
dying,  and  am  lost  forever.  Believe  and  obey  the 
Bible.''  His  last  words  were,  '1  am  going  to 
Hell.  Have  Compton  preach  my  funeral  sermon.'' 
Mr.  Compton  reached  the  home  in  time  to 
accede  to  the  man's  request.  The  broken-hearted 
son  embraced  the  preacher  and  the  widow  related 
the  facts  to  him  as  recorded  above.  A  great  crowd 
of  the  dead  man's  neighbors,  relatives  and 
influential  friends,  from  near  and  far,  came  to 
pay  their  last  respects.  Mr.  Compton  spoke  with 
great  power.  The  text  was,  "The  rich  man  died 
and  was  buried  and  in  Hell  he  lift  up  his  eyes, 
being  in  torment."  The  preacher,  the  message 
and  the  occasion  so  affected  the  people  that  rough 
old  sinners  begged  Compton  to  remain  in  the 
community  and  open  the  revival  meeting  again. 
So  general  was  this  desire  that  Mr.  Compton 
consented  to  do  so.  A  tremendous  revival 
resulted,  in  w^hich  the  hardest  characters  around 


74       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

were  soundly  converted.  The  community 
received  such  a  moral  and  spiritual  uplift  that 
its  reputation  was  reversed;  previously  it  was 
known  as  one  of  the  toughest  communities  in 
that  section  of  the  country,  now  it  became  known 
as  one  of  religion  and  sobriety. 

When  Mr.  Compton  was  invited  to  conduct  a 
revival  in  a  certain  backwoods  district,  a  min- 
ister, upon  hearing  of  it,  advised  him  not  to  go. 
The  minister  told  him  any  stranger  went  into 
that  community  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  He,  him- 
self, had  attempted  to  conduct  a  revival  there. 
The  ruffians  brought  their  guns  to  the  services 
and  smoked  their  pipes  and  talked  aloud  until  the 
preacher,  driven  to  distraction,  and  then  to  indis- 
cretion, threatened  them  with  the  strong  arm  of 
the  law.  The  night  he  did  that,  came  near  to  being 
fhe  last  that  preacher  spent  this  side  of  Heaven. 
As  he  left  the  meeting-house,  they  fired  revolvers 
about  his  head  and  feet.  He  started  to  run  for  his 
life.  One  of  the  ruffians  caught  hold  of  him  and 
said,  "Parson,  Fll  protect  you,"  but,  upon  reach- 
ing a  secluded  place,  he  pulled  out  his  gun  and 
told  the  preacher  his  hour  had  come.  Others  drew 
near,  firing  their  guns  around  him.  At  last  they 
turned  him  loose  and  he  made  his  way  to  safety. 
The  preacher  never  returned.  He  said  they  could 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         75 

go  to  Hell  before  he  would  ever  place  his  life  in 
jeopardy  among  them  again. 

No  picture  of  danger  ever  deterred  Compton 
from  doing  what  he  felt  God  wanted  him  to  do. 
He  began  the  meeting  there  just  before  Christ- 
mas— of  all  seasons  the  most  dangerous.  He 
learned  that  large  quantities  of  illicit  \Vhiskey  had 
been  laid  aside  for  Christmas  consumption. 
Judging  by  the  odor  of  the  room  at  the  opening 
service,  a  generous  portion  had  been  freshly  con- 
sumed. Mr.  Compton  showed  the  roughs  a 
friendly  spirit,  shaking  hands  with  them  and 
asking  them  to  join  in  the  singing.  At  the  close 
of  the  service  one  of  the  roughest  men  among 
them  invited  the  preacher  to  spend  the  night  in 
his  home.  The  invitation  was  accepted  and  they 
walked  to  the  man's  home,  which  was  about  three 
miles  from  the  church,  and  all  the  while  the 
crowd  were  drinking  whiskey  and  firing  off  their 
pistols.  Compton  apparently  paid  no  attention 
to  their  conduct,  but  talked  about  the  beautiful 
night,  the  lovely  country  and  the  good  meeting 
he  expected  God  to  give  them. 

Upon  reaching  his  home,  the  wife  was  thrown 
into  a  high  state  of  nervousness  and  embarrass- 
ment over  having  a  preacher  in  the  house  for  the 
first  time.     She  insisted  upon   cooking  a   mid- 


y6      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

night  meal,  but,  under  Compton's  protest, 
desisted  and  laid  before  them  a  cold  lunch  and 
a  pot  of  hot  coffee.  The  man  talked  in  dare- 
devil vein  of  the  "good  old  corn  whiskey"  made 
in  that  country,  and  how  revenue  men  did  not 
dare  to  interfere  in  those  regions.  The  next 
morning  Compton  took  particular  pains  to  win 
the  good-will  of  the  children,  and  found  occasion 
to  give  his  view^s  upon  the  proper  way  to  raise 
children,  and  then,  just  before  leaving  for  the 
next  service,  he  had  them  kneel  while  he  led  in 
prayer.  Now  it  developed  that  this  man  was  very 
influential  among  the  baser  element.  Evidently 
Compton  had  won  his  support  for  the  misbe- 
havior in  and  after  the  services  soon  stopped. 
The  power  of  God  came  upon  the  people  and 
many  were  saved.  Some  of  those  whom  law- 
abiding  citizens  dreaded  most,  were  transformed 
into  men  of  splendid  Christian  character.  Kind- 
ness, tactfulness  and  patience  will  generally  find 
a  way  to  the  hidden  elements  of  good  in  the 
roughest  lives,  and  then  the  grace  of  God  finds 
access  and  changes  the  outlaw  to  a  Christian 
citizen. 

Mrs.  Conaway  of  T ,  Kentucky,  had  been 

an  invalid  for  twelve  years,  and  for  six  years  she 
had  been  confined  to  her  bed,  and,  in  spite  of 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         yy 

doctors  and  drugs,  she  grew  worse  and  worse. 
If  a  wagon  passing  the  house  made  a  sudden  and 
unusual  noise,  she  would  be  thrown  into  convul- 
sions that  would  so  affect  her  that  she  had  to  be 
held  in  her  bed.  An  organ  in  the  house  had  stood 
mute  for  years,  for  a  single  tone  from  it  would 
throw  Mrs.  Conaway  into  a  dreadful  nervous 
state.  A  sheet  was  stretched  above  her  bed  to 
hide  the  figures  of  the  wall  paper,  the  sight  of 
which  was  unendurable  to  the  invalid. 

One  time,  in  the  early  days  of  Mr.  Compton's 
religious  work,  he  pitched  his  Gospel  tent  in  the 

town  of  T and  called  from  house  to  house, 

talking  to  the  people  about  the  Lord  and  engaging 
in  prayer  with  them.  In  this  sort  of  work  he  one 
day  entered  the  home  of  the  Conaways  and,  upon 
inquiry,  he  learned  that  Mrs.  Conaway  had  been 
a  Christian,  but  was  then  in  a  very  unhappy 
religious  state.  Mr.  Compton  talked  with  her 
and  prayed  for  her  until  she  declared  that  the 
light  of  God's  love  was  once  more  visible  to  her 
soul. 

That  night  Mrs.  Conaway  told  her  husband 
that  she  wanted  to  attend  Mr.  Compton's  meet- 
ing the  next  morning.  Mr.  Conaway  thought 
such  an  idea  preposterous.  ''Why,"  said  he, 
"Compton  cuts  up  like  a  thunder  storm  and  you 


/S      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

could  never  endure  such  excitement/'  Mrs.  Con- 
away  was  insistent,  and  at  last  her  husband 
interviewed  Mr.  Compton  and  got  his  promise  to 
speak  as  quietly  as  he  could  if  she  attended  the 
next  morning,  and  not  to  use  the  organ. 

The  invalid  was  carried  to  the  tent  upon  a 
cot  and  placed  near  the  large  center  pole.  After 
Mr.  Compton  had  made  his  talk  several  went  for- 
ward to  kneel  in  prayer.  At  this  time  Mrs.  Con- 
away  beckoned  to  Mr.  Compton  to  come  to  her 
and,  as  he  reached  the  cot,  she  whispered  (she 
had  not  been  able  to  talk  above  a  whisper  for  a 
long  time),  "I  want  you  to  offer  prayer  especially 
for  my  healing."  Mr.  Compton  asked  a  few 
Christians  to  gather  about  the  cot  while  he  offered 
a  simple,  earnest  prayer  to  God  for  the  healing 
of  this  afflicted  wife  and  mother.  While  Mr. 
Compton  was  praying,  Mrs.  Conaway  leaped 
from  the  cot  and  exclaimed  in  a  loud,  clear  voice, 
"I  am  healed!  I  am  healed!"  A  healthy  girl 
of  sixteen  years  could  not  have  gotten  about  that 
tent  more  actively  than  did  she. 

Mr.  Conaway  carried  the  cot  home  on  his 
back  while  Mrs.  Conaway  walked  home  receiving 
the  congratulations  of  her  neighbors  and  friends 
along  the  way.  She  attended  all  of  the  services 
after  this,  as  well  as  superintending  the  care  of 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.  79 

the  home  and  the  children.     The  writer  of  this 

book  conducted  evangehstic  services  in  T five 

years  consecutively,  save  one.  He  has  been  a  guest 
in  the  Conaway  home  many  times ;  has  known 
all  the  family  and  the  circumstances  incident  to 
Mrs.  Conaway's  healing,  well.  Twelve  years 
have  passed,  and  although  Mrs.  Conaway  has  not 
been  a  robust  woman  of  great  strength  and 
endurance,  she  has  enjoyed  a  splendid  degree  of 
health  and  has  aways  been  one  of  the  most  inde- 
fatigable workers  in  all  of  the  revival  campaigns. 
She  is  one  of  the  best  Christian  women  I  have 
ever  known. 

It  was  about  this  period  of  Mr.  Compton's 
life  that  he  suffered  a  recurrence  of  the  malady 
that  had  kept  him  a  cripple  throughout  his  boy- 
hood, but  from  which  he  had  no  trouble  for  many 
years.  He  was  engaged  in  a  revival  meeting  in 
his  Gospel  tent  when  he  was  suddenly  attacked 
by  a  fearful  pain  in  this  knee  that,  as  he  thought 
for  years,  had  been  permanently  healed.  The 
affliction  was  attended  with  very  great  agony, 
which  drove  him  to  his  bed.  A  helper  took 
charge  of  the  services  in  the  tent.  Now,  Mr. 
Compton  had  had  too  much  personal  experience 
of  the  power  and  willingness  of  God  to  heal  the 
afflicted  to  fail  to  make  his  own  affliction  the 


8q      LifE  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

object  of  earnest  prayer.  He  arranged  to  have 
a  few  of  his  friends  unite  with  him  for  his  heahng 
and  one  day,  as  they  prayed,  the  sharp,  cutting 
pains  stopped  at  once.  Mr.  Compton  arranged 
to  be  taken  to  the  tent  in  a  conveyance  and  he 
took  charge  of  the  service  himself.  He  began  to 
preach  sitting  in  a  chair  with  his  afflicted  Hmb 
resting  across  another  chain  He  had  not 
preached  long  until  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  com- 
pleted the  sermon  moving  about  as  actively  as 
ever.  This  incident  occurred  fully  twelve  years 
ago  and  there  has  been  no  recurrence  of  the 
difficulty  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Trials  and  Triumphs  of  a  Prkachkr. 

A  gentleman,  who  appeared  to  be  reliable, 
urged  Mr.  Compton  to  go  to  a  Gospel-neglected 
Kentucky  community  to  conduct  a  revival  cam- 
paign.    He  assured  Mr.  Compton  of  a  cordial 
welcome  by  the  people,  and  also,  that  the  pros- 
pects  for   a  revival  were  auspicious.     After   a 
journey  of  forty  miles,  he  reached  the  community 
and  found  that  they  had  no  available  place  in 
which  to  hold  a  meeting,  and,  furthermore,  he 
met  no  one  who  seemed  to  be  interested  in  one. 
There  was  a  family  that  consented  to  open  their 
home  for  a  service  that  night.    A  small  company 
gathered  and  after  the  service  left  for  their  homes 
without  inviting  the  preacher  to  spend  the  night 
or  to  continue  the  meeting.     Therefore,  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  Mr.  Compton  found  himself  out 
under  the  stars  with  no  place  to  lay  his  head  and 

8i 


82       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

forty  miles  from  home !  He  had  no  money  with 
which  to  pay  transportation,  so  decided  to  start 
home  afoot.  After  walking  several  miles,  he 
came  to  a  covered  bridge  that  spanned  a  stream. 
Being  very  tired,  he  decided  to  spend  the  night 
in  the  bridge;  resting  (?)  his  head  against  a 
sill,  he  tried  to  fall  asleep.  The  chirping  insects, 
the  hooting  owls,  the  rippling  water,  the  barking 
of  neighborhood  dogs,  the  scampering  wood  rats, 
the  flying  squirrels  and  fluttering  bats — all 
entered  into  a  successful  conspiracy  to  keep  him 
awake.  Here  the  matter  of  his  call  to  the  min- 
istry was  reviewed.  Was  his  call  real  or  imagin- 
ary? Despite  the  darkness,  the  dreariness,  the 
weariness,  he  told  God  he  would  be  true.  Far 
in  the  night  a  traveler  passed  through  the  bridge. 
Was  this  another  lonely  preacher  with  no  place 
to  lay  his  head? 

After  a  night  that  seemed  to  be  interminable, 
the  eastern  day-beams  crept  softly  into  the  old 
bridge,  yet  with  sufficient  forcefulness  to  start 
the  weary  traveler  once  more  upon  his  homeward 
journey. 

Along  in  the  day  he  met  a  man  who  proved 
to  be  an  earnest  Christian,  who  told  him  of  a 
place  in  his  communitv  where  he  would  like  to 
have  a  meeting,  and,  if  Mr.  Compton  would  go 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         83 

home  with  him,  he  would  gaurantee  a  place  of 
entertainment,  a  good  house  in  which  to  preach, 
and  a  good  hearing.     Compton  gladly  entered 
this  open  door.     The  meeting  was  conducted  in 
a  schoolhouse  and  within  a  week  the  building 
would  not  accommodate  the  crowds.     A  great 
revival  of  religion  swept  the  country.     As  the 
meeting  continued  for  weeks  scores  were  con- 
verted.     A    godless    community    was    literally 
reformed.     Homes  that  had  been  strangers  to 
Christ  became  homes  of  prayer.      A  Sunday- 
school  was  organized,  with  men  for  teachers  who 
had  been  regarded  as  the  roughest  characters  in 
that    country.      Thus    entire    families    became 
Christian,  and  a  work  of  grace  was  started  in 
that  country  that  doubtless  will  bear  rich  fruitage 
in  eternity. 

This  experience  of  Mr.  Compton's  is  strik- 
ingly corroborative  of  William  Cowper's  great 
hymn: 

''God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform ; 
He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea^ 
And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

"Deep  in  unfathomable  mines 
Of  never-failing  skill, 
He  treasures  up  His  bright  desiems, 
And  works  His  soverei^  will. 


84      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

*'Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take; 
The   clouds   ye   so   much   dread 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 
In  blessings  on  your  head. 

** Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense, 
But  trust  Him  for  His  grace; 
Behind  a  frowning  providence 
He  hides  a  smiling  face. 

*^His  purposes  will  ripen  fast, 
Unfolding  every  hour: 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sw^eet  will  be  the  flower. 

**  Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err, 

And  scan  His  work  in  vain: 
God  is  His  own  interpreter, 
And  He  will  make  it  plain." 

Mr.  Compton  walked  eighteen  miles  to  reach 
a  village  in  which  he  was  to  preach  for  a  few 
days.  He  reached  the  town  just  in  time  for  the 
night  service.  Dusty,  tired  and  hungry  t/.ough 
he  was,  he  delivered  a  Gospel  message  to  \\  hich 
the  congregation  gave  close  attention.  After 
announcing  services  for  the  next  day,  and  cor- 
dially inviting  the  people  to  attend  them,  he  dis- 
missed the  congregation.  They  hurried  out  of  the 
church  without  paying  the  preacher  the  courtesy 
of  a  handshake,  much  less  the  offer  of  a  bite  to 
eat  and  a  bed.    As  the  janitor  passed  out,  he  left 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         85 

Mr.  Compton  alone  upon  the  steps  of  the  church. 
There  he  stood  in  the  darkness  in  a  strange  place, 
hungry  and  tired,  with  no  chance  to  obtain  either 
food  or  bed.  Fortunately  the  janitor  had  not 
locked  the  door,  so  he  re-entered  the  church  where 
he  spent  the  night  in  prayer  and  attempts  to 
sleep.  He  got  along  with  a  measure  of  comfort 
until  towards  early  morning,  when  the  tempera- 
ture fell  many  degrees ;  his  clothes  were  wet  with 
perspiration  and  he  became  thoroughly  chilled. 
At  last  day  dawned,  and  going  out  in  the  village 
he  found  a  store  in  which  he  bought  some 
crackers  and  a  small  can  of  kidney  beans.  These 
he  carried  back  to  the  steps  of  the  church  where, 
his  pocket-knife  serving  as  a  spoon,  he  was  eating 
his  breakfast  when  one  of  the  neig'hborhood  men 
who  had  attended  the  service  the  night  before 
passed  by.  He  said,  "Good-morning,  you  are 
here  early."  Mr.  Compton  replied,  "Yes,  sir. 
Won't  you  have  breakfast  with  me?''  The  man, 
with  a  bewildered  expression,  asked,  "Where  did 
you  spend  the  night?"  "Right  here  in  this  church, 
sir,"  replied  Mr.  Compton.  The  man  looked  like 
he  had  become  suddenly  ill.  Finally  expressing 
his  regrets  that  the  people  had  treated  him  so 
inhospitably,  he  hurried  away.  In  a  few  minutes 
two  ladies  approached  and,  with  profuse  apologies 


86      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

for  their  neglect  of  him,  invited  him  to  their 
home,  where  he  found  a  warm  welcome,  a  warm 
meal,  and  later,  a  warm  bed. 

Before  the  next  service,  it  seemed  that  all  the 
surrounding  country  had  learned  that  the 
preacher  had  spent  the  night  in  the  church;  and 
this  news  so  stirred  up  the  element  of  curiosity 
in  the  people  that  at  once  the  services  became 
largely  attended.  Mr.  Compton  refrained  from 
any  allusion  to  his  unhappy  experience,  but  pled 
so  earnestly  for  the  salvation  of  lost  souls  that  a 
far-reaching  revival  resulted.  It  became  neces- 
sary for  the  congregation  to  purchase  a  more 
commodious  building  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  newly  converted  worshipers.  It  was  a  long 
time  ere  Mr.  Compton  recovered  fully  from  the 
severe  cold  contracted  in  the  church  that  first 
memorable  night,  but  the  good  work  which  he 
started  that  night  still  goes  forward.  Some  of 
those  converts  are  in  active  Christian  service, 
others  have  passed  to  the  other  side,  where  they 
dwell  with  Jesus. 

En  route  to  fill  an  engagement  for  evangelistic 
service  in  a  town  in  a  Southern  state,  Mr.  Comp- 
ton spent  a  night  in  a  low-priced  hotel.  LTpon 
reaching  his  destination,  he  started  a  meetiner 
that  gave  splendid  promise.     When  he  reached 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         87 

the  point  where,  under  all  ordinary  conditions, 
the  revival  should  have  been  urged  on  to  a  great 
victory,  Mr.  Compton  found  that  he  had  fallen 
victim  to  a  pernicious  type  of  vermin.  So  fear- 
fully and  mercilessly  did  the  pest  assail  him  that 
he  was  thrown  into  extreme  distress.  He  saw 
but  one  thing  to  do  in  the  exigency  and  that  was 
to  close  the  meeting  and  hasten  home.  Naturally 
the  people  protested  vigorously  against  that  and 
urged  him  to  give  them  satisfactory  reasons  for 
the  unexpected  decision.  This  he  did  not  do, 
(except  to  a  few  leaders) ;  and  then  he  hastened 
home.  He  spent  several  days  in  what  at  last 
proved  a  successful  effort  to  rid  himself  of  his 
tormentors.  This  incident  will  give  the  reader 
an  idea  of  how  the  evangelist,  who  goes  every- 
where among  all  classes  of  people,  and  is  com- 
pelled, through  poor  support,  to  live  and  travel 
as  cheaply  as  possible,  is  heir  to  all  sorts  of  dis- 
comfort, danger  and  disease.  Mr.  Compton 
has  written  the  following  concerning  this  particu- 
lar experience : 

''I  think  I  have  about  run  the  gamut  of  con- 
ditions a  minister  is  likely  to  face.  I  have 
preached  in  some  of  America's  leading  churches, 
in  country  churches,  in  schoolhouses,  in  private 
houses,   in   storerooms,   in  halls,   in   saloons,   in 


88      LiFi:  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

brush  arbors,  in  tents,  in  fence  corners,  in  beer- 
gardens,  upon  street  corners,  in  courthouses,  at 
camp-meetings,  at  conventions,  in  city  missions, 
in  brothels,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  world.  I 
have  encountered  opposition  that  placed  my  life 
in  jeopardy,  but  this  is  the  only  time  I  was  ever 
driven  out  of  any  place  by  the  devil  or  his  emis- 
saries. Why,  those  little  crawlers  made  me  even 
forget  how  to  pray !  A  man  could  hardly  be  held 
accountable  for  committing  suicide  with  them 
covering  his  body.  Since  this  experience,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  understand  why  Pharaoh  refused 
to  let  the  children  of  Israel  go,  after  this  particu- 
lar pest  arrived  in  Egypt.  I  feel  certain,  had  I 
been  he,  I  should  have  gladly  turned  all  Egypt 
loose  and  then  have  fled  for  my  own  life." 

Mr.  Compton  and  his  father  went  thirty  miles 
back  into  the  mountains  to  conduct  a  revival. 
Upon  examining  the  church  building,  Lucius 
declined  to  begin  a  service  until  the  place  was 
thoroughly  cleaned.  When  the  tobacco  cuds  had 
been  removed  from  the  walls  and  floor,  there 
were  enough  of  them  to  fill  a  peck  measure.  One 
day  an  influential  deacon  of  the  church  invited 
the  Comptons  to  take  dinner  at  his  home.  Just 
as  they  began  the  meal,  Lucius,  looking  straight 
into  the  eyes  of  the  deacon,   asked,   "Brother, 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         89 

where  is  your  moonshine  distillery?"  Had  a 
cannon  exploded  beneath  the  table,  it  would 
scarcely  have  caused  greater  consternation.  The 
deacon  turned  white  as  death.  The  children  sat 
in  speechless  amazement.  It  was  clear  to  Lucius 
that  he  had  gotten  "close  to  something  real.'' 
After  a  minute  of  awful  silence,  Lucius'  father 
relieved  the  tension  with  a  few  tactful  words. 
About  two  wxeks  after  the  meeting  closed, 
revenue  officers  discovered  an  illicit  distillery 
back  of  the  deacon's  spring  and  the  law-breaker 
was  put  in  stripes.  The  deacon  doubtless  has 
no  idea  but  that  the  Comptons  exposed  his  law- 
less enterprise  to  the  officers,  and  were  thus  the 
cause  of  his  imprisonment,  and  yet,  no  one  could 
have  been  more  innocent  of  the  presence  of  a 
distillery  on  the  deacon's  property  than  they. 

One  of  Compton's  random  shots  brought 
about  another  very  grave  and  unpleasant  experi- 
ence. This  occurred  in  an  Eastern  state.  Mr. 
Compton  was  the  guest  in  the  cultured  home  of 
an  influential  churchman.  One  day,  as  he  was 
about  to  enter  his  room  after  having  been  down 
in  the  city  a  few  hours,  he  met  his  host  and  said 
good-naturedly,  as  he  placed  his  hand  upon  the 
man's  shoulder,  ''Well,  my  brother,  are  you  in  a 
good  humor  yet?"     The  man's  face  turned  livid 


90       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

with  anger.  Compton  went  on  into  his  room. 
Presently  the  man  entered  and  said,  ''Did  my  wife 
meet  you  downstairs  and  tell  you  about  my  con- 
dition?" Mr.  Compton  answered,  ''No,  my 
brother,  I  have  had  no  conversation  with  your 
wife  to-day."  "Well,"  said  he,  "who  told  you 
that  I  had  been  in  an  ugly  humor?"  "Nobody," 
said  Mr.  Compton,  "I  had  no  idea  that  you  ever 
got  into  such  moods.  I  simply  asked  you  that 
question  in  pure  facetiousness."  The  gentleman 
had  now  carried  the  matter  so  far  that  an  expla- 
nation became  the  only  means  of  relieving  the 
embarrassing  situation,  and  he  made  a  full  con- 
fession to  the  preacher.  That  morning,  in  Mr. 
Compton's  absence,  he  had  lost  control  of  his 
temper  and  had  abused  his  wife  with  hateful 
words  and  had  barely  restrained  himself  from 
striking  her.  The  man  was  deeply  mortified  and 
exceedingly  penitent.  He  sought  his  wife's  for- 
giveness as  well  as  God's,  and  thus  the  intensely 
unpleasant  disclosure  Mr.  Compton  brought 
about  unwittingly,  resulted  very  happily. 

While  preaching  one  day  in  a  backwoods 
locality,  Mr.  Compton  said,  "In  order  to  be  a 
good  Christian,  a  person  must  give  up  whiskey, 
tobacco  and  snuff,  for  godliness  includes  clean- 
liness."   One  old  lady  went  away  from  the  ser- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.         91 

vice  saying,  'I'll  miss  Heaven  'fore  Til  quit 
chawing."  She  brought  her  scattered,  brown, 
snaggled  teeth  together  pressing  the  juice  out 
of  a  generous  "chaw,"  and  continued,  ''Here  I 
be,  poor  an  ain't  got  nothin'  an  yit,  dat-ere 
preacher  is  tryin'  ter  take  me  unly  'joyment 
away."  This  old  lady  gave  her  heart  to  God  one 
day  and  gave  up  her  snuff  and  tobacco  and  lived 
a  clean  and  respectable  Christian  life.  She  rarely 
failed  to  tell,  when  giving  her  public  testimony, 
of  this  portion  of  her  experience. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Sanctification. 

A  pathetic  condition  of  twentieth  century 
Christianity  is  the  widespread  indifference  of 
the  people  to  high  attainment  in  Christian  grace. 
With  what  amazing  complacency  do  the  majority 
of  them  recognize  their  imperfection!  And  this 
in  the  light  of  the  words  of  Jesus  in  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  ^'Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  which  is  in  Heaven  is  perfect."  We  are 
face  to  face  with  the  extraordinary  situation  of 
Christians  refusing  to  accept  that  for  which  they 
pray,  and  that  which  every  one  should  eagerly 
desire.  Men  say,  "You  can  have  a  perfect 
machine,"  and  are  dissatisfied  with  anything  less. 
They  demand  perfect  chickens,  horses  and  hogs, 
but,  talk  of  perfect  Christian  manhood,  and  they 
say,  ''It  is  impossible."  Conceding  that  man 
can  do  that  which  they  deny  to  Almighty  God! 

92 


The:  Mountainekr  Evangelist.         93 

When  and  where  has  it  been  demonstrated  that 
God  cannot  make  perfect  character?  Have  you 
given  Him  a  full  and  fair  opportunity  with  your 
own  heart?  Dr.  Willits  says,  ''With  God  per- 
fection is  not  a  question  of  can  or  cannot;  of  will 
or  will  not.  He  puts  it  squarely  before  men  in, 
the  form  of  life — in  deeds,  not  words ;  in  char- 
acter, not  profession :  and  when  these  things  are 
met  He  says,  'Ye  shall  be  perfect.' ''  Mr.  Comp- 
ton  was  of  the  elect  number  "who  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness,"  and  have  been 
rewarded  according  to  the  promise,  "they  shall 
be  filled."  The  following  account  of  his  experi- 
ence as  a  richly  rewarded  seeker  of  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  substance  of  the  story, 
as  often  told  by  himself.  It  is  but  fair  to  say  that 
the  language  is  that  of  the  writer. 

"From  the  day  that  Christ  reclaimed  me  from 
a  wild  and  reckless  life,  I  had  endeavored  to  walk 
in  the  light  as  the  Lord  had  sent  it  into  my  path- 
way. While  I  did  not  doubt  that  I  was  a  child  of 
God,  because  God's  Spirit  constantly  bore  me 
witness  of  this,  still  I  found  I  was  in  possession 
of  tempers  and  tendencies  that  sometimes  caused 
me  to  do  what  I  could  not  approve,  and  to  leave 
undone  some  things  that  I  felt  a  devout  Christian 
ought  to  do.    In  one  of  my  revivals,  in  which  God 


94       Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

manifested  His  power,  I  preached  my  own  con- 
science under  conviction.  I  found  within  me 
tendencies  toward  impatience,  fretting,  and  pride. 
Then,  too,  althoug'h  God  was  blessing  my  efforts 
and  giving  me  souls,  I  felt  a  great  lack  of  the 
spiritual  power  like  that  which  the  disciples 
received  upon  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  which 
Peter  declared  was  for  us  all.  I  had  held  the 
view  that  one's  soul  w^as  made  pure  in  regenera- 
tion, and  that  sin  still  dwelt  in  the  flesh;  but  I 
concluded,  after  diligent  investigation,  that  God's 
Word  taught  differently.  I  knew  that  the  mem- 
bers of  one's  body  had  no  power  to  do  good  or 
evil  without  the  consent  of  the  will;  and,  I  rea- 
soned, if  one  no  longer  willed  to  commit  sin,  then 
his  body,  in  all  of  its  conduct,  would  be  righteous 
and  holy.  Saint  Paul  prayed  that  our  'whole 
body,  soul  and  spirit,  be  preserved  blameless,' 
and  he  commanded  us  to  'present  our  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable;'  and  he 
declared  that,  'our  bodies  are  the  temples  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  should  not  be  defiled,  but  must 
be  holy.'  Christ  Himself  said:  'From  within, 
out  of  the  heart  of  man,  proceed  evil  thoughts, 
adulteries,  fornication,  murders,  thefts,  covetous- 
ness,  wickedness,  deceit,  lasciviousness,  an  evil 
eye,  blasphemy,  pride,  foolishness;  all  these  evil 


Thk  MouNTAixNEKR  Evangelist.  95 

things   come   from  zvithin   and  defile  the  man/ 
I  had  been  taught  that  the  highest  possible  attain- 
ment of  the  Christian's  life  was  a  seventh-of- 
Romans  experience,  where  the  'body  of  sin'  dwelt 
in  and  generally  directed  a  man's  conduct,  but 
what  I  read  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  Romans,  that, 
'the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  had 
made  him  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death,' 
made  me  suspicious  of  my  previous  instruction. 
"I   became   convinced,   both  by   reason   and 
revelation,  that  there  was  a  'balm  in  Gilead'  for 
all  of  my  spiritual  difficulties.     God's  Word  de- 
clared that  Christ's  mission  to  earth  Avas  to  de- 
stroy the  works  of  the  devil.  Since  sin  is  solely  the 
devil's  work,  until  one  is  freed  from  its  presence 
and  power,  Christ's  uttermost  salvation  has  not 
been  realized  in  his  life.    To  have  my  head  full  of 
logical  and  scriptural  theories  did  not  satisfy  me, 
but  rather  gave  me  a  keen  desire  to  possess  the 
experience  of  full  deliverance  through  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ.    Indeed,  I  became  as  deeply  con- 
yicted  of  my  need  of  a  pure  heart  as,  previously,  I 
had  been  for  the  pardon  of  my  sins. 

'In  the  summer  of  1899  I  was  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  on  the  opening  day  of  Salvation  Park 
Camp-meeting,  which  was  held  at  the  Carthage 
campgrounds.    I  had  but  a  few  cents  in  my  pos- 


96      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

session,  therefore  I  did  not  hope  to  be  able  to 
remain  beyond  the  first  few  services.  I  went 
about  the  grounds  with  a  tender  heart  and  tear- 
ful eyes,  for  the  presence  and  power  of  God  were 
graciously  overshadowing  the  whole  scene.  I 
would  have  counted  it  a  high  honor  to  have 
polished  the  preachers'  shoes  for  the  privilege 
of  sitting  under  the  magnetic  influence  of  their 
conscience-stirring,  soul-uplifting  messages.  It 
was  here  I  first  heard  Seth  C.  Rees,  that  irresist- 
ible Pentecostal  evangelist  to  whom,  under  God, 
I  am  indebted  far  beyond  my  power  to  repay,  for 
innumerable  blessings  and  boundless  inspiration. 
"Early  in  the  meeting  I  was  compelled  to 
leave,  and,  reluctantly,  I  started  homeward.  All 
the  way  I  earnestly  prayed  God  to  permit  me  to 
return  with  my  wife,  that  we  might  reap  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  the  latter  half  of  the  camp. 
When  I  reached  home  I  found  that  my  prayer 
had  been  answered,  for  Mrs.  Compton  had 
received  sufficient  money  to  enable  us,  by  practis- 
ing severe  economy,  to  spend  a  week  at  Car- 
thage. There  my  hunger  for  sanctificatic^n 
reached  such  proportions  that  I  knew  that  there 
was  no  alternative  for  me — I  must  possess  this 
grace.  Having  provided  a  means  of  conveyance 
for  Mrs.  Compton's  return  home,  T  started  out 


The  Mountainekr  Evangelist.         97 

to  walk  the  eighteen  miles.  While  I  was  com- 
pelled to  walk  for  lack  of  funds  to  pay  my  way, 
I  was  glad  to  do  so,  for  I  was  determined  to 
obtain  the  experience  somewhere  between  Car- 
thage and  home.  I  think  Saul,  en  route  to  Da- 
mascus, had  no  more  memorable  experience  than 
did  I  en  route  to  my  home ;  for  about  midway  of 
that  journey,  the  fire  from  Heaven  fell  upon  me 
and  I  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

''In  a  secluded  place,  where  none  but  God 
and  the  songbirds  and  I  were  present,  I  looked 
Heavenward  through  the  branches  of  the  forest 
trees,  and  asked  the  Father  to  reveal  to  me  the 
entire  cost  in  personal  crucifixion  and  consecra- 
tion, of  this  life  for  which  he  had  given  me  such 
an  insistent  hunger.  I  told  Him  I  would  count 
the  most  difficult  service  and  the  most  painful 
suffering  all  joy  for  His  sake.  I  would  gladly 
do  the  hard  and  distasteful  things  as  I  went  forth 
without  the  gate  bearing  His  reproach.  If  there 
were  to  be  persecution,  destitution,  distress  and 
grief,  for  His  sake,  I  coveted  them  to  the  limit  of 
human  endurance.  In  short,  I  desired,  more 
than  all  else,  to  carry  out  His  program  of  life  for 
me.  My  innermost  soul  acquiesced  in  whatever 
His  will  might  be.  With  the  completion  of  this 
eternal  consecration  came  the  realization  that, 


98      Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

like  Saint  John,  'I  was  cleansed  from  all  unright- 
eousness through  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ/  and,  like  Micah  the  prophet,  I  was  'filled 
with  power  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.' '' 

''Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 

All  to  leave  and  follow  Thee ; 
Destitute,  despised,  forsaken, 

Thou,  from  hence,  my  all  shalt  be: 
Perish  every  fond  ambition, 

All  I've  sought,  and  hoped,  and  known; 
Yet  how  rich  is  my  condition, 

God  and  Heaven  are  still  my  own! 

**Let  the  world  despise  and  leave  me. 

They  have  left  my  Savior  too : 
Human  hearts  and  looks  deceive  me; 

Thou  art  not,  like  man,  untrue ; 
And  while  Thou  shalt  smile  upon  me, 

God  of  wisdom,  love,  and  might. 
Foes  may  hate,  and  friends  may  shun  me ; 

Show  Thy  face,  and  all  is  bright. 

''Man  may  trouble  and  distress  me, 

'Twill  but  drive  me  to  Thy  breast; 
Life  with  trials  hard  may  press  me. 

Heaven  will  bring  me  sweeter  rest. 
Oh,  'tis  not  in  grief  to  harm  me, 

While  Thy  love  is  left  to  me : 
Oh,  'twere  not  in  joy  to  charm  me, 

Were  that  joy  unmixed  with  Thee.'* 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Faith  Cottagk. 

F-om  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Compton's  min- 
istry, he  was  deepy  interested  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  Asheville,  North  Carolina— the  city 
he  had  chosen  for  his  lifelong  residence.    There 
is  no  section  of  this  city  where  his  voice  has  not 
been  heard  calling  the  people  to  consecration  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  no  portion  of  it  which  his 
feet  have  not  trodden  by  day  and  by  night  on 
missions  of  mercy.     He  has  gone  out  from  this 
city  to  communities  lying  in  every  direction;  to 
churdh,  or  tent,  or  schoolhouse,  or  hall,  or  home, 
or  grove— to  declare  that   the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  can  cleanse  from  all  sin.     There  are  com- 
munities within  the  radius  of  fifty  miles  of  Ashe- 
ville that  have  been  transformed  through   the 
power  of  his  messages,  and  where  devout  Chris- 
tians continually  thank  God  that  He  sent  this 
faithful  preacher  among  them. 

99 


loo     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Mr.  Compton's  introduction  to  Asheville  as 
a  preacher  was  characteristically  unique.  While 
passing  one  day  along-  Patton  Avenue,  the  city's 
chief  thoroughfare,  he  observed  that  men  were 
electioneering  on  all  sides  for  certain  candidates 
for  office.  Accosting  a  policeman,  he  asked, 
'*Does  anybody  ever  electioneer  for  Jesus  Christ 
upon  these  streets?"  ''No  one,''  repHed  the  of- 
ficer, "except  old  B — ,  and  nobody  pays  any  at- 
tention to  him."  Compton  walked  on  to  the 
public  square  and,  taking  a  position  in  front  of 
the  old  Buncomb  County  courthouse,  he  began  to 
sing  a  hymn.  Two  or  three  hundred  men  were 
soon  gathered  around  him.  This  is  the  introduc- 
tion to  the  message  that  he  delivered:  ''I  am 
here  this  afternoon  to  represent  One  who  is  sure 
to  be  elected  whether  you  vote  for  Him  or  not. 
Over  eighteen  hundred  years  ago  there  was  an 
election  held  in  an  Eastern  city;  the  candidates 
were  Jesus  Christ  and  Barabbas.  The  majority 
voted  for  Barabbas,  and,  while  Christ  appeared 
to  be  defeated,  it  was  only  apparently  so,  for  in 
the  final  count  it  was  discovered  that  He  had 
won  the  election  and  was  given  a  seat  at  the  right 
hand  of  Almiofhtv  God.  He  is  still  a  candidate 
for  the  favor  of  men,  and  to  every  man  who  will 
accept  Him  now  He  offers  the  privilege  of  reign- 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        ioi 

ing  with  Him  in  His  everlasting  kingdom."  At 
the  close  of  the  service,  upon  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  influential  men,  Compton  consented  to 
conduct  a  series  of  meetings  in  the  courthouse 
at  night  and  upon  the  square  in  the  afternoons. 
Much  was  accomplished  in  those  meetings  that 
continues  to  bear  fruit  after  the  passing  of  nearly 
fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Compton  gave  'particular  attention  to 
the  needs  of  Asheville's  poor— living,  preaching 
and  serving  among  them.  In  this  class  of  Chris- 
tian work  he  excelled,  and  to  it  he  gave  his 
heart's  full  devotion;  and,  as  we  shall  see,  out  of 
it  grew  the  institutions.  Faith  Cottage  and  Eliada 
Orphanage,  which  were  to  become  monuments 
of  faith  and  prayer. 

During  one  of  the  many  evangelistic  cam- 
paigns which  Mr.  Compton  has  conducted  in 
Asheville,  one  night  a  girl  responded  to  the  in- 
vitation to  bow  at  the  altar  to  seek  the  pardon  of 
her  sins.  The  girl  confided  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Compton  that  she  had  been  living  an  immoral 
life  and  that  she  was  an  inmate  of  a  house  of 
prostitution.  She  could  not  endure  the  thought 
of  returning  to  her  old  haunts,  and  yet  she  had 
nowhere  else  to  go.  Mr.  Compton  explained  the 
case  to  several  of  his  friends,  asking  them  if 


I02     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

they  would  be  willing  to  provide  temporary  shel- 
ter for  the  girl.  Every  one  refused  to  open  their 
doors  to  her.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton  lived  in 
one  room  with  a  private  family,  making  it  impos- 
sible for  them  to  receive  the  girl,  and  they  seem- 
ed compelled  to  let  her  return  to  her  environment 
of  vice. 

This  experience,  in  conjunction  with  numer- 
ous others  of  a  similar  nature,  brought  great  sad- 
ness to  Mr.  Compton's  heart.  The  need  for  a 
haven  where  the  fallen  and  outcast  girls  might 
find  love  and  sympathy,  Christ  and  a  chance,  be- 
came more  and  more  evident  to  him,  until,  at 
last,  it  assumed  the  proportions  of  a  clear  call 
from  God.  Mr.  Compton  endeavored  to  interest 
his  Asheville  friends  in  such  an  institution,  but 
they  gave  him  small  encouragement.  He  next 
laid  the  need  before  a  man  who  had  organized 
and  maintained  several  rescue  homes  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  but  the  gentleman  was  not  in 
a  position  to  open  one  in  Asheville,  however  much 
he  would  like  to  do  so.  It  became  clear  to  Mr. 
Compton  at  last  that,  if  the  institution  was  launch- 
ed, he  would  have  to  cease  to  depend  upon  men 
directly,  but  look  to  God  and  trust  Him  to  move 
His  stewards  to  open  up  their  hearts  and  purses 
to  meet  the  demands  of  such  a  work. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        105 

The  first  step  of  faith  must  now  be  taken,  and 
right  here  is  where  the  foundations  God  had 
long-  been  laying  in  Compton's  life  were  to  be 
thoroughly  tested.  After  careful  consideration 
and  prayer,  he  went  in  search  of  a  building  in 
which  to  begin  the  work.  Finding  an  empty 
house  near  the  Mission  Church  on  Buxton  Street, 
he  interviewed  its  owner  and  told  him  what  he 
proposed  to  do,  and  then  asked  for  the  terms  upon 
which  he  could  procure  the  residence.  The  own- 
er asked,  "Who  is  back  of  this  undertaking?" 
Compton  replied,  "Only  God."  "Well  then,|' 
said  he,  "to  whom  shall  I  look  for  my  rent?" 
"You  shall  look  to  me  for  that,"  was  the  reply. 
"Well,"  said  the  man,  "what  is  back  of  you?" 
"A  life  of  prayer  and  faith,"  said  Compton.  The 
owner  dismissed  him  with  the  statement  that  he 
was  uncertain  whether  he  would  consent  to  rent 
his  property  for  such  an  enterprise,  but  would 
give  a  final  reply  on  the  morrow. 

While  the  landlord  was  considering,  the 
Comptons  were  praying,  and  the  next  day  the 
house  was  offered  to  Mr.  Compton  for  fifteen  dol- 
lars a  month,  the  rent  to  be  paid  in  advance.  Mr. 
Compton  did  not  have  a  dollar,  nor  did  he  have 
a  friend  to  whom  he  would  go  to  borrow  one. 
He  went  to  prayer  and  told  God  the  whole  situa- 


io6     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

tion  as  it  appeared  to  him,  and  then  he  left  the 
matter  in  Divine  hands.  The  next  morning  he 
received  a  letter  from  New  Hampshire  contain- 
ing a  check  for  fifteen  dollars.  He  paid  the  first 
month's  rent  and  then,  with  Mrs.  Compton  and 
another  woman  assisting,  he  began  to  prepare 
the  house  for  occupancy.  A  friend,  learning  of 
what  had  been  done,  handed  Mr.  Compton  a  dol- 
lar ;  with  this  he  hired  a  dray  wagon  to  transfer 
the  few  things  they  possessed  to  the  new  home. 
Their  household  goods  were  not  sufficient  to 
properly  furnish  one  room.  A  lady,  hearing  of 
their  step  of  faith,  provided  them  with  four  small 
cots,  mattresses  and  comforts,  besides  shades  for 
all  of  the  windows.  It  has  always  been  charac- 
teristic of  Mr.  Compton  to  praise  God  as  ardently 
as  he  prayed  to  Him,  therefore  each  evidence  of 
the  Father's  care  became  the  occasion  of  thanks- 
giving, and  at  this  delightful  occupation  he  has 
been  kept  busy  to  this  day.  As  soon  as  the  house 
Was  ready,  an  unfortunate  girl  with  a  baby  asked 
to  be  taken  in.  They  received  her  gladly  and 
shared  with  her  such  as  they  had,  in  the  nan^e  of 
the  Lord.  Many  girls  sought  admission  and  the 
home,  w^hich  had  been  named  Faith  Cottage,  Avas 
soon  filled. 

While  the  Faith  Cottage  sky  was  often  as 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        107 

clear  as  the  healthful  ozone  of  its  natural  environ- 
ment, high  up  in  the  Appalachian  sky-land,  there 
were  often  times  when  the  densest  clouds  hung 
ominously  over  the  youthful  institution,  presag- 
ing direst  disaster.     The  first  opposition  came 
from  the  immediate  neighborhood.    There  was 
an  effort  made  to  have  the  court  declare  the  place 
a  public  nuisance  and  thus  abolish  it.     Unknown 
friends  arose  to  the  defence  of  the  work,  and  this 
attempt  failed.     The  owner  of  the  property  was 
urged  to  refuse  to  rent  the  house  to  Mr.  Compton 
longer,  but  he  stated  that  Mr.  Compton  kept  his 
rent  paid  in  advance  and  was  a  satisfactory  ten- 
ant, and  he  would  not  eject  him.    After  that  the 
opposing  forces  consoled  themselves  with  the  as- 
surance that  the  plant  was  of  the  mushroom  va- 
riety and  would  soon  die  of  its  own  inertia.     But 
all  of  the  opposition  from  without  was  not  com- 
parable with  that  which  came  from  a  traitoress 
from  v/ithin. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  institution  there  came 
to  Asheville,  from  nobody  knew  exactly  where, 
an  elderly  woman  of  attractive  and  winsome  per- 
sonality. This  woman  claimed  to  be  a  devout 
Christian  with  wide  experience  in  rescue  work. 
She  soueht  out  Mr.  Compton  and  impressed  him 
so  favorably  that  he  accepted  her  offer  of  her 


loS     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

services  to  the  Home.  She  labored  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Home  and  among  the  people  of  Ashe- 
ville  and  surrounding  country  for  awhile  with 
much  acceptability,  and  won  the  unlimited  con- 
fidence of  many  of  Mr.  Compton's  closest  friends. 
There  came  a  day,  however,  when  Mr.  Compton 
was  compelled  to  admit  to  his  own  reluctant  heart 
that  the  woman  was  guilty  of  some  grave  irregu- 
larities. Her  conversation  was  not  always  whole- 
some and  it  was  discovered  that  she  was  violating 
an  unalterable  rule  of  the  Home  by  slipping  snuff 
and  tobacco  to  the  girls  who  were  addicted  to 
this  filthy  and  unchristian  habit.  One  day  this 
woman  notified  Mr.  Compton  of  the  receipt  of 
twenty-five  dollars  given  her  by  a  certain  woman, 
as  she  said,  for  the  furnishing  of  a  room  for  her 
personal  use.  Mr.  Compton  was  greatly  pleased 
with  this  until  he  discovered  later  that  the  money 
had  been  sent  to  himself  for  the  general  needs  of 
the  institution.  About  this  time  a  devout  young 
woman  had  been  procured  from  a  Northern  city 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  matron  of  the 
home.  She  shared  the  old  lady's  room  for 
awhile.  To  the  utter  bewilderment  of  Mr.  Comp- 
ton, the  young  woman  went  about  weeping^  and 
sighinsf  almost  from  her  arrival.  After  a  few 
days  Mr.  Compton  demanded  an  expln nation  of 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        109 

her  Jeremiacal  affliction.  The  young  woman 
asked  a  question,  "Mr.  Compton,  what  did  you 
do  with  the  money  that  Mr.  R —  sent  you  for 
the  furnishing  of  this  Home?"  Mr.  Compton  as- 
sured her  that  Mr.  R —  had  not  sent  any  money 
for  that  purpose.  ''But/'  said  he,  ''the  gentleman 
did  at  one  time  give  me  a  few  dollars  which  I 
paid  in  upon  the  purchase  of  the  cook  stove." 
When  pressed  to  disclose  the  source  of  her  in- 
formation, the  young  woman  named  the  old  lady 
with  whom  she  roomed.  Immediately  Mr. 
Compton  wrote  Mr.  R — ,  requesting  him  to  send 
a  statement  of  the  total  amount  of  money  he  had 
ever  invested  in  the  institution.  An  early  reply 
stated  that  he  had  sent  just  eleven  dollars.  Of 
course  this  evidence  convinced  the  new  matron 
that  her  roommate  had  been  endeavoring, 
through  malicious  misrepresentation,  to  injure 
Mr.  Compton's  good  name.  Mr.  Compton  noti- 
fied the  old  lady  that  '^he  was  now  convinced  that 
the  Ivord  did  not  want  her  in  the  Home  any  long- 
er." 

Unhappy  results  came  of  the  ejection  of  the 
old  woman.  So  fully  had  she  ingratiated  herself 
into  the  esteem  of  the  people,  that  she  was  in  a 
position  to  shake  the  confidence  of  Mr.  Comp- 
ton's  closest  friends  in  his  integrity.     She  did 


no     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

not  hesitate,  while  visiting  around  among  the 
people,  to  make  the  vilest  insinuations  and  the 
most  preposterous  accusations.  Of  course  there 
are  always  those  who  are  eager  for  such  disclos- 
ures, with  whom  it  is  a  slight  consideration 
whether  the  accusations  are  true  or  false. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  ministry,  Mr. 
Compton  adopted  the  policy  of  non-defense  in 
every  case  of  persecution  and  misrepresentation 
that  should  arise.  To  the  unthinking,  this  atti- 
tude would  appear  to  be  preposterous,  if  not,  in- 
deed, cowardly.  A  little  reflection  will  disclose 
quite  the  contrary.  It  takes  a  greater  man  to 
maintain  an  admirable  equipoise  and  dignified 
silence  under  persecution  than  one  who  flutters 
and  sputters  about  in  a  paroxysm  of  defense  and 
retaliation.  Mr.  Compton  has  always  relied  up- 
on the  Scriptures  for  solace  and  strength ;  he  has 
been  so  much  unlike  the  most  of  us  as  to  be  al- 
ways resigned  to  the  working  out  of  the  Scrip- 
ture which  says,  "Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will  re- 
pay, saith  the  Lord."  During  the  testing  months 
when  he  could  not  be  unaware  that  he  was  under 
a  cloud  of  suspicion,  and  that  even  with  some  of 
his  dearest  friends,  he  leaned  hard  upon  these 
words  of  God:  "He  shall  be  blessed  upon  the 
earth,  and  thou  shalt  not  deliver  him  to  the  will 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        i  i i 

of  his  enemies."  ''Christ  suffered,  leaving  us  an 
example  that  we  should  follow  in  his  steps,  who 
when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again:  when 
he  suffered,  he  threatened  not,  but  committed 
himself  to  him  that  judgeth  righteously.^* 

Let  the  reader  bear  in  mind  that  through  all 
the  months  he  was  being  crushed  by  this  load  of 
slander  he  had  maintained  an  attitude  of  dignified 
silence  and  non-defense.  Now,  after  such  an 
attitude,  who  should  Mr.  Compton  encounter  one 
day  but  the  sheriff,  who  notified  him  that  he  was 
cited  to  appear  in  court  upon  a  certain  day  and 
face  the  charge  of  maliciously  slandering  this  old 
woman ! 

It  was  learned  that  the  woman  had  engaged 
an  able  lawyer  and  had  prepaid  him  for  his  con- 
templated services.  The  ignominy  of  it  all  was 
intensified  when  the  city  newspapers,  in  bold 
headlines,  announced  the  sensational  features  of 
the  case.  After  two  sleepless  nights  spent  in 
meditation  and  prayer,  Mr.  Compton  determined 
not  to  retain  a  lawyer  or  in  any  other  way  to  fight 
the  case.  He  had  immeasurably  greater  confi- 
dence in  the  ability  of  his  Heavenly  Father  to 
vindicate  him  than  he  had  in  the  coir.bined  wis- 
dom of  lawyers,  loyal  friends  and  himself.  He 
declared  his  willingness  to  go  on  the  Buncomb 


112     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

County  chain-gang  if  God  did  not  see  fit  to  fully 
exonerate  him.  He  found  much  justification  of 
his  proposed  course  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount : 
''If  they  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take  away  thy 
coat,  let  them  have  thy  cloak  also."  "When  men 
revile  you  and  persecute  you,  rejoice  and  be  ex- 
ceeding glad,  for  great  is  your  reward  in 
Heaven.'' 

The  day  of  the  trial  was  approaching  Many 
friends,  new  and  old,  urged  Mr.  Compton  to  re- 
consider his  decision  and  prepare  to  fight  the  case. 
To  all  these  he  gave  the  same  reply,  "My  decision, 
founded  upon  an  unalterable  trust  in  God,  is 
final."  The  climax  soon  came.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Compton  were  summoned  to  the  bedside  of  the 
old  woman,  who  had  become  very  ill.  Upon 
reaching  her,  the  woman  said  she  had  called  Mr. 
Compton  to  confess  to  him  the  wrongs  she  had 
sought  to  do  him  and  the  malice  she  had  treasured 
within  her  heart  toward  him.  She  declared  that 
all  she  had  said  against  his  character  was  utterly 
false  and  that  she  had  notified  her  lawyer  to  drop 
the  case  immediately. 

Mr.  Compton  took  the  hand  that  had  been  so 
long  against  him  in  his  own,  and,  looking  into 
the  old  woman's  face,  told  her  that  out  of  the 
depths  of  his  heart  he  forgave  her.    Then  he  fell 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        113 

upon  his  knees  and,  with  all  the  fervor  of  his  long- 
suffering,  but  now  jubilant,  soul,  he  thanked  God, 
and  interceded  for  the  highest  and  best  blessings 
of  Heaven  upon  the  woman  lying  there.  Here 
you  have  a  revelation  of  the  innermost  heart  of 
Lucius  B.  Compton,  the  purity  and  transparency 
of  his  soul.  Could  angels  have  held  back  hard- 
pressing  tears  as  they  beheld  this  act  of  Chris- 
tian magnanimity? 

It  was  not  long  ere  the  story  of  his  vindica- 
tion became  generally  known.  From  year  to 
year  he  steadily  grew  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  people  of  his  native  city,  and  now,  in  the 
year  1914,  Asheville  looks  upon  this  unostenta- 
tious man  as  one  of  the  city's  assets. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Audacity  of  Faith. 

Out  upon  one  of  Asheville's  many  hilltops,  in 
the  southwestern  section  of  the  city,  there  was  a 
plat  of  two  acres  of  land  with  an  old  weather- 
worn house  upon  the  topmost  summit  of  the  area. 
Mr.  Compton  coveted  that  property  for  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  It  seemed  to  him  to  be  admirably 
situated  for  the  purposes  of  Faith  Cottage. 

The  work  at  the  original  Home  had  battled 
through  the  trials  and  shouted  through  the 
triumphs  of  two  eventful  years.  There  had  been 
sunshine  and  rain — mostly  rain — ^but  back  of  all 
the  rain-full  clouds,  God  had  been,  unfailingly. 

Keen,  like  Arctic  blasts,  was  the  storm  that 
threatened  the  future  existence  of  Faith  Cottage 
as  she  was  emerging  from  the  travail  of  her 
second  year.  So  much  seemed  to  depend  upon 
Mr.  Compton's  ability  to  keep  constantly  in  the 

114. 


The  Mountainf:e:r  Evangelist.        115 

evangelistic  field  where  he  could  keep  the  needs 
of  the  institution  before  the  people;  but  a  physi- 
cal breakdown  had  kept  him  from  traveling  as 
had  been  his  wont.  While  money  evaded  him, 
his  hands  were  not  empty,  for  expenses,  on  fleet 
wing,  came  to  fill  them.  One  source  of  revenue 
upon  which  he  had  leaned  hard  for  many  months, 
failed  utterly.  Sympathetic  and  honored  friends 
said,  "It  is  useless  to  proceed ;  abandon  the  enter- 
prise." Enemies  advised  likewise,  but,  with  sin- 
ister intent.  Elephaz  the  Temanite,  Bildad  the 
Shuhite,  and  Zophar  the  Naamathite,  all  paid 
their  respects ;  and  incidentally,  contributed  their 
meed  of  wisdomic  discouragement-  But  Comp- 
ton  in  the  darkest  hour  saw  a  vision  of  the 
hilltop  with  its  two  acres  and  weather-beaten 
house  and  God  said,  "My  son,  buy  it  for  me." 
Compton  replied,  "Father,  I  will." 

This  happened  in  a  Maryland  camp-meeting, 
where  he  was  kept  in  bed  under  the  care  of  a 
trained  nurse  all  day,  except  when  he  arose  and 
went  to  the  tabernacle  to  fill  his  place,  as  he  al- 
ternated with  the  other  preachers.  He  returned 
to  Asheville  from  this  camp,  and  with  a  friend 
he  visited  the  hilltop  he  was  to  take  for  Jesus 
Christ.  "Where  two  are  agreed  as  touching-  any- 
thing, it  shall  be  done."     The  two  held  a  result ful 


ii6     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

prayer-meeting  on  the  property.  Mr.  Compton 
found  the  owner  anxious  to  sell.  His  terms  were 
$550,00  down,  and  the  balance  in  annual  pay- 
ments, with  interest.  Compton  had  no  money, 
no  promise  of  money,  nor  prospect  of  receiving 
money.  A  friend  sent  him  fifty  dollars  for  the 
rescue  work.  He  carried  the  money  to  the 
agent,  who  laughed  at  the  absurdity  of  accepting 
fifty  dollars  down  upon  such  valuable  property. 
Compton  said,  "Will  you  take  these  fifty  dollars 
and  give  me  twenty  days  to  appear  with  five  hun- 
dred others;  with  the  agreement  that  I  am  to 
forfeit  the  payment  if  I  fail  to  raise  the  balance?'* 
The  agent  agreed,  reluctantly. 

**Our  doubts  are  traitors, 

And  make  us  lose  the  good  we  oft  might  win, 
By  fearing  to  attempt." 

There  was  just  one  number  on  the  Faith  Cot- 
tage program  for  many  days  and  nights — prayer, 
prayer,  prayer.  Compton  went  to  Hebron, 
Massachusetts,  to  fill  a  camp-meeting  engage- 
ment. One  day  during  this  camp  a  minister  said 
a  few  kind  words  publicly  about  the  mission  of 
Faith  Cottage  and  the  competent  leadership  of 
Mr.  Compton.  Upon  the  closing  day  of  the 
camp,  a  man  handed  Mr.  Compton  a  sealed  en- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        117 

velope,  another  a  check,  another  a  bill  and  others 
various  sums  of  money.  He  slipped  the  gifts 
into  his  pocket  uncounted.  When  he  went  to 
his  room  that  night,  he  counted  the  money;  it  is 
a  wonder  he  lived  to  complete  the  joyous  task, 
for  he  found  himself  in  possession  of  over  five 
hundred  dollars!  Hours  of  that  night  he  spent 
upon  his  knees  in  unspeakable  gratitude  to  his 
Heavenly  Father. 

Upon  reaching  Asheville,  Mr.  Compton  found 
that  much  personal  mail  had  accumulated  in  his 
absence  from  home.  One  of  the  first  letters  he 
opened  read  as  follows : 

"My  Dear  Brother  :— 

"Father  tells  me  to  send  you  this  check.  He 
knows  why.    God  bless  vou  all. 

"J-  B-." 

The  check  was  drawn  for  one  hundred  dollars. 
When  Mr.  Compton  had  gotten  through  all  the 
mail,  he  had,  including  the  Massachusetts  money, 
a  total  of  $733.00. 

Within  a  week's  time  the  property  was  legally 
made  over  to  the  Faith  Cottage  interests.  Sev- 
eral men  were  set  to  work  at  once  remodeling  the 
old  house  and  preparing  it  for  occupancy.  The 
simple  statement  is  powerless  to  convey  any  ade- 
quate conception  of  the  trials  and  discourage- 


ii8     Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton     • 

ments  encountered  and  overcome  ere  the  task 
was  completed.  However,  in  the  month  of  No- 
vember, 189s,  the  matron,  missionaries  and  res- 
cued girls  moved  into  their  new  and  permanent 
home. 

A  visit  to  Faith  Cottage  impresses  one  at 
once  that  the  place  is  a  home.  It  has  neither  the 
air  nor  the  appearance  of  an  institution.  Enter- 
ing from  the  front  veranda  you  are  admitted  to 
a  hall  from  which  a  stairway  leads  to  the  upper 
floor.  You  are  admitted  through  a  door,  to  your 
right,  to  the  office,  where  much  of  the  extensive 
mail  pertaining  to  all  the  work  under  Mr.  Comp- 
ton's  management  is  attended  to.  Here  also  is 
where  the  Nezv  Testament  Christian  is  edited 
and  mailed  to  its  hundreds  of  subscribers  all  over 
the  United  States  and  beyond.  Back  of  the  office 
is  the  matron's  room  and  a  large  living-room 
where  the  mothers  may  gather  with  their  little 
babes  and  read,  visit  or  rest.  Going  back  to  the 
entry  hall,  a  door  to  your  left  admits  you  to  the 
reception  parlor,  a  room  tastefully  and  comfort- 
ably furnished.  To  this  room  are  all  of  Faith 
Cottage's  visitors  first  taken — benefactors  from 
far  and  near;  heavy-hearted  mothers  with  way- 
ward daughters;  girls  of  tender  years  disgraced 
in   a  moment  of  insistent  temptation;   women, 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        i  19 

ravaged  and  wrecked  with  years  of  prostitution 
and  profligacy;  ministers,  evangelists,  personal 
friends,  here  they  sit  down  from  the  North,  the 
South,  the  East  and  the  West,  and  sitting  there, 
some  are  made  to  feel  that  they  are  already  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

There  are  two  doors  leading  from  this  room, 
one,  to  the  left,  to  a  small  guest-room ;  the  other, 
to  the  dining-room,  where  every  morsel  placed 
upon  the  tables  is  furnished  by  saints  of  God  the 
land  over  upon  whose  hearts  the  Father  has  laid 
the  burden  of  this  institution's  maintenance. 
The  kitchen,  to  the  left  of  the  dining-room,  com- 
pletes the  arrangement  of  the  first  floor.  There 
are  seventeen  rooms  in  the  house  w^ith  two  bath- 
rooms, two  toilet  rooms  and  a  basement.  The 
eift  of  one  thousand  dollars  from  a  friend  in 
Philadelphia  made  it  possible  to  equip  the  home 
with  a  modern  steam-heating  plant.  This  is  a 
very  important  feature  in  any  home,  but  particu- 
larly so  in  Faith  Cottage  where  there  are  gener- 
ally several  little  babes  whose  comfort  demands 
an  even  temperature.  The  Home  is  situated 
high  above  the  tumultuous  French  Broad  River, 
about  one-eighth  of  a  mile  away,  and  commands 
a  sweeping  view  of  Asheville  and  the  distant 


I20    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

verdure-clad  Great  Smokies,  rising  tier  upon  tier, 
like  stair-steps  to  Glory. 

The  Home  is  conducted  on  the  wisest  discip- 
linary plan.  Each  inmate  is  required  to  do  her 
share  of  the  household  work.  Every  one  is  re- 
quired to  keep  her  bedroom  in  good  order,  and, 
if  she  be  a  mother,  is  responsibe  for  the  care  of 
her  baby.  Certain  girls  have  charge  of  the 
household  washing,  others  the  ironing,  others 
the  cooking,  and  others  the  sweeping  and  dusting. 
Each  day  is  started  with  family  prayer,  in  which 
all  are  brought  together  and  the  Scriptures  read, 
then  all  who  will  are  urged  to  offer  prayer.  A 
few  moments  are  always  spent,  after  all  are  seated 
at  the  table  and  before  the  meal  is  begun,  in  quot- 
ing passages  of  Scripture  from  memory,  each 
girl  being  expected  to  be  ready  with  a  portion. 
Every  Sabbath  morning  one  of  the  missionaries 
teaches  the  Sunday-school  lesson  to  the  girls  who 
gather  in  the  reception  parlor  for  that  purpose. 
Often,  under  the  guidance  of  the  workers,  such 
girls  as  can  get  away  are  taken  to  religious  ser- 
vices in  various  parts  of  the  city.  Faith  Cottage 
has  but  little  confidence  in  the  permanency  of  the 
reformation  of  its  girls  unless  they  are  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  their  minds  and  the 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        121 

purifying  of  their  hearts  through  the  blood  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Faith  Cottage  runs  the  gamut  of  all  of  the 
human  emotions,  from  the  humorous  to  the  sub- 
lime. Most  of  the  girls  who  become  members  of 
the  household  are  as  tractable  as  children,  but 
occasionally  they  have  to  deal  with  lazy,  firey- 
tempered,  dishonest  and  ungrateful  ones.  One 
Sabbath  the  matron,  with  a  few  girls,  had  gone 
to  a  service  in  a  near-by  church.  In  the  midst 
of  the  service  a  messenger  informed  her  that  two 
girls  were  running  away  with  everything  they 
could  get  their  hands  upon.  The  matron  and  the 
girls  accompanying  her  immediately  left  the 
church  and  hastened  home,  reaching  the  house 
just  in  time  to  see  the  two  girls  in  the  distance, 
fleeing  with  their  arms  filled  with  wearing  ap- 
parel and  other  valuables,  which  belonged  to  the 
household. 

One  of  the  unalterable  rules  of  the  Home  is 
that  tobacco  and  snuff  shall  not  be  used  upon  the 
premises.  Many  of  the  women  and  girls  who 
come  there  are  slaves  to  these  filthy  habits.  Oc- 
casionally a  girl  would  become  so  hungry  for  a 
mouthful  of  snufif  that  she  would  run  away  from 
the  Home  to  indulge  herself.  When  the  v^orkers 
would  learn  of  her  disappearance,  they  would  set 


122     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

out  in  pursuit,  hurrying  here  and  there — among 
the  hills,  in  the  alleys,  in  dilapidated  buildings, 
and,  sometimes,  upon  the  roofs  of  flat-topped 
buildings,  they  would  find  them.  This  happened 
under  an  early  policy  of  the  Home ;  now  it  is  the 
policy  of  Faith  Cottage  to  let  any  one  go  who  is 
so  far  unwilling  to  stay  that  she  will  run  away. 
There  are  so  many  who  have  a  sincere  desire  to 
reform  that  it  has  not  seemed  to  be  the  wisest 
plan  to  crowd  these  out  with  such  as  seem  to  be 
incorrigible. 

As  has  been  previously  indicated.  Faith  Cot- 
tage depends  for  sustenance  upon  the  where-with- 
al  to  provide  it  as  it  is  sent  in  by  interested 
friends.  Sometimes  the  bottom  of  the  flour  bar- 
rel is  closely  scraped  and  meat  becomes  quite  a 
stranger  to  the  house.  One  time  when  there 
had  been  no  meat  for  a  good  while,  and  all  had 
acquired  an  eager  appetite  for  some,  they 
unitedly  laid  the  matter  before  God  in  prayer. 
They  were  aroused  by  a  vigorous  knock  at  the 
door  and,  upon  answering  it,  there  stood  an  ex- 
pressman with  the  hind  quarter  of  a  beef  upon 
his  back.  When  the  meat  was  deposited  within 
the  house,  and  the  clear  evidence  of  the  Father's 
faithfulness  was  realized  by  them,  the  whole 
family  burst  out  with  tears  of  gratitude.    For 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        123 

several  months  the  donor's  name  was  not  known, 
then,  one  day  they  learned  that  a  man  living  forty 
miles  back  in  the  mountains  felt  divinely  im- 
pressed to  kill  a  beef  and  to  send  a  hind  quarter 
to  Faith  Cottage. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1909,  Mr.  Compton 
found  himself  once  more  seriously  hindered  in 
his  work  by  indebtedness.    He  decided  to  call 
his  workers  together  and  enlist  them  in  impor- 
tunate supplication  that  God  remove  the  indebted- 
ness from  the  institution.     During  this  season 
of  prayer  and  faith,  there  came  to  Faith  Cottage 
from  a  donor  in  Pennsylvania  a  check  for  $775.00 
—the  exact  amount  required  to  life  the  mortgage 
from  the  property.    And  now,  six  years  from  the 
time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton  began  the  work  in 
the  rented  residence  near  the  old  Buxton  Street 
church,   Faith  Cottage  stands  free  of  debt,   a 
monument  to  the  power  of  prayer  and  faith,  hav- 
ing received  to  her  outstretched  arms  scores  of 
unfortunate  souls  and  sent  them  away  to  live  lives 
of  Christian  usefulness.     A  few   (as  the  next 
chapter  will  disclose)  found  Faith  Cottage  the 
vestibule  of  Heaven  from  whence  they  swept 
through  the  gates  into  the  city  whose  Builder 
and  Maker  is  God. 

Faith  Cottage  has  over-stepped  her  specific 


124     Li?E  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

mission  occasionally  when  it  was  possible  to  en- 
large the  field  of  her  usefulness.  At  one  time 
the  attempt  was  made,  with  much  success,  to 
educate  poor  little  street  gamins.  Mr.  Comp- 
ton decided  to  excavate  a  suitable  room  under 
the  Buxton  Street  Mission  church.  He  employed 
a  helper  and  together  they  completed  the  arduous 
task.  He  secured  two  hundred  dollars  with 
which  he  fitted  up  the  room  and  then  brought 
a  young  lady  from  Michigan  to  teach  the  tow- 
selled  tots.  No  ordinary  methods  would  induce 
the  parents  to  send  the  children  to  school,  so  it 
was  necessary  to  try  some  extraordinary  ones. 
Mr.  Compton  gave  every  child  that  attended  a 
day's  session  a  ticket,  and  when  a  child  received 
a  certain  number  of  tickets  he  or  she  would  be 
given  a  pair  of  shoes,  a  hat  or  some  other  useful 
article.  Thus  the  parents  found  it  advantageous 
to  keep  their  children  regularly  in  the  school. 
This  work  was  continued  for  a  long  time;  it  not 
only  gave  the  children  the  rudiments  of  an  edu- 
cation, but  kept  them  off  the  streets  and  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  devil,  at  least  while  within  the 
school,  and  many  of  the  children  came  to  definite- 
ly know  their  Savior. 

Another  most  commendable  enterprise  was 
maintained  for  several  years.     This  was  to  pro- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        125 

vide  a  generous  meal  for  Asheville's  poor  every 
Thanksgiving-  or  Christmas  day.  The  mission- 
aries would  visit  the  districts  where  poverty  dwelt 
unmolested  and  give  out  tickets  to  such  as  seemed 
to  be  worthy,  which  entitled  them  to  a  part  in 
the  feast.  All  of  the  dirty,  unkempt,  ill-clad  chil- 
dren were  first  of  all  thoroughly  washed  and  then 
provided  with  clothing,  as  their  needs  required. 
There  were  a  few  instances  where,  when  the  chil- 
dren had  been  put  through  this  cleansing  and  re- 
newing process,  and  the  parents  were  allowed  to 
look  in  upon  them  thus  transformed,  they  had 
the  greatest  difficulty  in  recognizing  their  own 
oiTspring.  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
me. 


CHAPTER  X. 
Are:  the:  Days  o^  Miracles  Past? 


*'Have  you  looked  for  the  sheep  in  the  desert, 

For  those  who  have  lost  their  way? 
Have  you  been  in  the  wild  waste  places, 

Where  the  lost  and  the  wandering  stray? 
Have  you  trodden  the  lonely  highway, 

The  foul  and  darksome  street? 
For  there  ye  might  find  in  the  gloaming, 

The  prints  of  the  Master's  feet. 

"Have  ye  folded  and  pressed  to  your  bosom, 

The  trembling,  neglected  lamb? 
Have  you  taught  to  the  little  lost  ones 

The  sound  of  the  Shepherd's  name? 
Have  ye  searched  for  the  poor  and  needy, 

With  no  clothing,  no  home,  no  bread? 
The  Son  of  man  was  among  them 

With  no  place  to  lay  His  head. 

"Have  ye  carried  the  living  water, 
To  the  parched  and  thirsty  soul? 
Have  ye  said  to  the  sick  and  wounded, 

'Christ  Jesus  can  make  you  whole'? 
Have  you  told  to  the  fainting  children 
The  strength  of  the  Father's  hand? 
Have  ye  guided  the  tottering  footsteps 
Safe  to  the  heavenly  land? 
126 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        127 

*'Have  ye  stood  by  the  sad  and  weary 

To  soften  the  pillow  of  death, 
To  comfort  the  sorrow-stricken, 

And  to  strengthen  the  feeble  faith? 
Have  ye  felt  when  the  heavenly  glory 

Had  streamed  through  the  open  door, 
And  brightened  the  darkened  hearth-stone 

That  Christ  had  been  there  before?" 

It  is  not  the  writer's  purpose  to  delineate  the 
salacious  life  history  of  all  the  immoral  women 
and  delinquent  ^girls  who  have  found  shelter, 
sympathy  and  salvation  in  Faith  Cottage.  Such 
stories  are  best  left  buried  in  the  "Fountain  filled 
with  blood,"  and  forgotten  like  God  forgets  our 
sins  when  buried  there.  However,  it  seems  proper 
to  devote  a  chapter  to  these  sordid  pictures  of 
profligacy,  in  order  that  the  reader  may  gain  a 
distinct  impression  of  the  unselfish  service  and 
unspeakable  sacrifice  those  devoted  souls  are 
making,  who,  with  as  great  refinement,  with  as 
great  love  for  the  aesthetical,  as  other  respectable 
folks,  are  giving  their  lives  to  this  work. 

Upon  a  day  in  the  month  of  July,  a  little  five- 
year-old  girl  was  seen  begging  from  door  to  door 
in  the  vicinity  of  Faith  Cottage.  Mr.  Compton 
found  the  girl  a  filthy  specimen  of  neglected  child- 
hood. The  pitiful  little  creature,  after  some  tact- 
ful persuasion,  disclosed  the  location  of  her  moth- 
er and  baby  brother.     Mr.  Compton  was  directed 


128     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

to  one  of  the  most  lamentable  scenes  he  had  ever 
beheld.  Out  in  the  woods  under  some  bushes  he 
found  the  mother  and  her  nursing  babe.  The 
trio  were  three  exclamation  points  of  misery, 
squalor  and  degradation.  He  learned  from  the 
woman  that  they  were  living  in  the  bushes  in 
clear  weather  and  in  abandoned  shacks  at  other 
times,  and  at  this  time  they  were  depending  upon 
the  child's  begging  for  their  food.  The  woman 
had  met  with  an  accident  a  few  days  before  in 
which  she  sprained  one  of  her  limbs  so  that  she 
had  been  unable  to  walk  or  even  to  stand  upon  her 
feet.  The  children  had  been  born  out  of  wedlock 
and  the  mother  was  begging  and  stealing  their 
inadequate  sustenance.  The  woman,  in  addition 
to  all  of  her  other  miseries,  was  sufifering  in- 
tensely with  her  wounded  limb.  Summoning 
helpers  who  assisted  the  mother  to  Faith  Cottage, 
Mr.  Compton  carried  the  babe  in  his  arms.  He 
did  not  mind  the  filth  greatly,  for  he  knew  that 
underneath  the  heavy  outward  coating  of  neglect, 
there  was  as  much  innocence,  purity  and  promise, 
as  would  be  found  in  a  babe  born  in  the  palace  of 
a  king.  Indeed,  when  the  family  had  been  scrub- 
bed, scoured  and  soaked  for  a  few  days;  when 
clean  clothing  had  been  procured  for  them :  when 
thev  had  been  nourished  with  substantial  food; 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        129 

when  the  poor,  devil-driven  woman  had  been 
brought  into  personal  relationship  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  then  the  transformation  was  incred- 
ible. The  children  were  placed  in  an  institution 
where  they  received  loving  care.  The  mother 
left  Faith  Cottage  and,  as  far  as  is  known,  has 
lived  a  respectable  life  ever  since. 

One  of  the  first  women  received  in  Faith  Cot- 
tage was  known  as  Roxie.  For  twelve  years 
she  had  been  widely  known  among  the  police  and 
the  habitues  of  dens  of  infamy  as  one  of  the  most 
incorrigible  prostitutes  in  the  city.  In  addition 
to  her  other  vices,  she  was  a  drunkard  and  a  user 
of  morphine.  Roxie  was  sentenced  to  jail  for 
stabbing  a  man.  Faith  Cottage  petitioned  the 
judge  to  let  them  have  this  poor  creature,  that 
they  might  endeavor  to  reclaim  her,  for  they 
believed  that, 

''Down  in  this  human  heart,  crushed  by  the  tempter, 
Feelings  were  buried  that  grace  could  restore, 
If  touched  by  a  loving  heart,  wakened  by  kindness, 
Those  chords  that  were  broken  would  vibrate  once 
more." 

Roxie  was  sent  to  the  Home  and  in  a  short 
time  she  became  a  transformed  woman.  God 
wrought  a  work  of  grace  in  her  that  subdued 
her  insane  temper,  and  made  her  conduct  such  as 


130     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

became  a  Christian  lady.  One  day  Mrs.  Comp- 
ton took  Roxie  down  to  the  city  to  do  some  sho^ 
ping.  An  officer  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes 
when  he  saw  the  two  together.  The  following 
day  he  took  occasion  to  warn  Mr.  Compton 
against  permitting  his  wife  being  alone  with  such 
a  vicious  character.  He  said  Roxie  was  liable 
to  be  thrown  into  a  fit  of  madness  under  the 
slightest  provocation  and  then  she  would  not 
hesitate  to  take  one's  life.  He  also  said  that  no 
officer  without  assistance  would  attempt  to  arrest 
Roxie  when  she  was  angry.  Mr.  Compton  told 
the  officer  that  God  had  transformed  the  woman 
and  that  now  she  was  as  tractable  as  a  child. 

Roxie  maintained  a  most  commendable  Chris- 
tian life  until,  by  an  unwise  arrangement,  she  left 
the  Home  too  soon,  to  make  her  home  with  a  sis- 
ter. It  was  not  long  before  the  old  inhuman 
vultures  were  once  more  after  their  prey,  and 
they  at  last  succeeded  in  seducing  her  away  from 
God.  ^^^len  this  information  reached  Faith  Cot- 
tage, it  caused  much  sorrow.  So  much  was 
Roxie  upon  their  minds  that  one  cold  niglit  when 
the  storm  awakened  them,  Mrs.  Compton  said  to 
her  husband,  "I  wonder  where  poor  Roxie  is  to- 
night?" They  decided  to  search  for  her  in  the 
morning.     So  out  in  the  snow  they  started,  and 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        131 

after  a  long  search  through  old  dilapidated  shacks, 
they  came  to  the  most  wretched  one  of  all,  and 
pushed  open  the  doov ,  which  was  but  half  closed 
because  of  the  snow  banked  up  against  it.  In 
a  dark  corner  was  an  old  wreck  of  a  cot,  some  old 
straw  and  some  rags.  Beside  the  cot  was  a 
smoking  lantern,  upon  it  lay  the  poor  object  of 
their  search.  In  the  midst  of  that  squalor  Roxie 
lay,  desperately  ill,  half  starved  and  nearly 
frozen.  They  told  her  how  the  Heavenly  Father 
had  laid  her  upon  their  hearts  at  midnight  and 
that  they  had  sought  diligently  to  find  her,  and 
they  wanted  to  take  her  back  home  with  them. 
She  was  glad  to  go;  so  they  placed  her  in  a  car- 
riage and  returned  with  her  to  Faith  Cottage. 
Roxie  never  recovered  from  the  disease  that 
brought  her  to  her  bed.  So  great  was  her  long- 
ing to  return  to  the  arms  of  Jesus  that  she  sought 
Him  very  earnestly  for  forgiveness  and  reclama- 
tion, and  died  with  the  testimony  that  she  was 
prepared  to  go,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus'  blood. 

*'0h,  there  is  One  who  is  purer  than  snow, 
Standing  all  day  by  the  lost  and  the  low, 
He  knows  the  anguish,  the  heart's  deepest  cry, 
He  follows  their  footsteps,  He  hears  every  sigh. 
Come,  there  is  mercy  and  forgiveness  for  thee; 
Come,  there  is  healing ;  salvation  is  free ; 
Come  to  the  Savior,  His  graciousness  know, 
His  blood  will  redeem  and  wash  whiter  than  snow.** 


132     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Minnie  Nichols  was  born  and  reared  in  wes- 
tern North  Carolina.  Her  parents  died  when 
she  was  three  years  old.  She  was  early  cast 
adrift  upon  life's  turbulent  sea.  In  the  inevitable 
storms,  she  battled  against  the  raging  elements 
for  a  time,  thea  she  succumbed  to  their  merciless 
fury.  Then  for  years  she  was  a  wandering  der- 
elict upon  Unchastity's  sunless  sea.  In  her  ca- 
reer she  became  the  plaything  of  base  Africans. 
Oh,  merciful  God!  she  fell  so  low  as  to  be  de- 
spised, even  by  these !  At  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
w^hen  husband,  motherhood,  and  home  should 
have  made  her  an  uncrowned  queen,  in  the  sham- 
bles of  lust  she  was  as  worthless  as  a  dead  fly  in 
a  cobweb.  Yet,  in  the  market-place,  where  God 
barters,  her  soul  w^as  of  world  worth.  The  mis- 
sionaries of  Faith  Cottage  were  always  in  quest 
of  the  eternal  values.  It  mattered  but  slightly 
to  them  how  sin  had  worn  the  covering  that  en- 
closed that  priceless  jewel,  they  eagerly  drew 
that  form  to  their  arms,  their  hearts,  and  then  to 
their  God. 

They  found  Minnie  where  she  was  no  stranger 
— in  the  city  prison.  The  judge,  unhesitatingly 
gave  her  to  Faith  Cottage ;  he  thought  if  she  did 
not  find  secure  anchorage  there,  she  was  hopeless. 
As  she  enters  Faith  Cottage,  think  of  the  most 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        133 

benighted  female  character  you  ever  saw;  now 
multiply  the  result  again  and  again — there,  you 
have  her  picture !  Look  in  upon  her  in  one  week ; 
if  casually,  you  see  about  the  same  creature;  if 
carefully,  you  discern  a  hundred  Christian  quali- 
ties, budding  like  trees  in  early  spring.  She  has 
found  Jesus  Christ.  All  of  her  sins  have  been 
washed  away.  She  has  received  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Her  heart  is  cleansed.  She  is  no  longer  "old 
drunk  Minnie,''  but,  "our  sister  in  Christ.''  Very 
earnestly  she  endeavored  to  prove  her  apprecia- 
tion of  her  new  life.  In  many  interesting  ways 
she  showed  the  thoroughness  of  her  regenera- 
tion. But  her  soul  expanded  too  rapidly  to  main- 
tain safe  anchorage  in  a  body  so  fragile  and  sin- 
broken.  She  was  to  drift  no  longer.  She  saw 
the  dim  outlines  of  the  distant  shore.  Calling 
for  Mr.  Compton,  she  said,  "I  am  going  away 
to-night.  I  wanted  so  much  to  live  to  prove  my 
gratitude  for  all  Faith  Cottage  has  done  for  me ; 
but,  I'll  tell  Jesus  over  there.  When  I  am  gone 
I  want  you  to  sing, 

"  'Amazing  grace  how  sweet  the  sound, 
That  saves  a  wretch  like  me.' 

"I  thank  you  all  for  your  kindness.    Good- 
bye."    One  of  the  missionaries  stayed  close  be- 


134     hi^^  OK  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

side  the  bed,  watching;  and,  in  the  silent  night, 
she  saw  the  passing  of  Minnie's  soul. 

The  following  sketches  concerning  Amla  and 
Hertes  were  written  by  Hattie  M.  Byers.  busi- 
ness manager  of  The  Nezv  Testament  Christian, 
and  are  inserted  here  practically  unchanged. 
She  says: 

One  afternoon  I  was  sitting  in  the  office  of 
the  Flower  Mission  and  Associated  Charities, 
engaged  in  conversation  with  the  secretary  on  a 
matter  of  business.  The  adjoining  room  was 
filled  with  men  and  women  awaiting  their  ti^rn 
to  present  their  needs  and  tell  their  sorrows  to 
the  secretary.  Suddenly  Ave  ^vere  interrupted 
by  the  door  being  pushed  rudely  open  and  a  rouu^h 
voice  asking,  "Is  this  Miz  Wild?''  The  secretary 
turned  to  the  owner  of  the  voice  and  requested 
her  to  wait  a  few  minutes.  As  the  door  closed, 
we  looked  at  each  other  questioningly  and  the 
secretary  exclaimed,  "Oh,  what  a  face !"  It  was 
a  face  the  like  of  which  I  never  remember  having 
seen  before.  This  incident  had  almost  passed 
from  my  mind,  when  a  few  hours  later  the  same 
individual  presented  herself  at  Faith  Cottage 
with  a  note  from  the  secretary  requesting  us  to 
help  her  if  we  were  in  a  position  to  take  her. 

It  is  not  in  my  power  to  describe  realistically 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        135 

the  poor  soul  as  she  came  into  the  parlor  at  our 
invitation.  She  was  a  large,  angular  person, 
clothed  in  about  equal  proportions  of  apparel  be- 
longing to  men  and  women.  Her  clothes,  from 
hat  to  shoes,  were  soiled  and  dusty :  her  face  and 
hands  matched  her  clothes;  her  hair  was  di- 
sheveled and  her  uncouthness  of  manner  and 
downcast  countenance  completed  a  picture  that 
was  pitiable  in  the  extreme. 

We  endeavored  to  find  out  where  she  came 
from  and  other  facts  relating  to  her  family  his- 
tory. When  we  asked  her  age  she  was  puzzled 
and  said  she  did  not  know  how  old  she  was.  We 
judged  her,  however,  to  be  about  twenty-five 
years  old.  Little  by  little  we  got  the  story  of  a 
life  that  had  never  know^n  joy  or  sunshine.  She 
had  come  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles  from 
back  in  the  mountains,  from  whose  seclusion  she 
had  never  ventured  before.  Her  life  had  been 
utterly  void  of  every  refining  influence.  Of  a 
woman's  work,  she  knew  nothing.  She  had 
plowed  and  hoed  in  the  fields  and  cut  timber  and 
rolled  logs  in  the  woods  all  her  life.  In  that 
cheerless  environment  she  was  lured  to  her  ruin, 
and  in  the  day  of  her  trouble  she  came  to  Ashe- 
ville,  where  she  hoped  to  find  friends  and  shelter. 


136     Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

She  sold  her  gun,  and  with  the  proceeds  paid  her 
carfare  to  the  city! 

Her  whole  life  had  been  one  of  hardship  and 
deprivation.  Many  times  the  meals,  which  were 
too  meager  to  satisfy  her  hunger,  were  finished 
on  tobacco  or  little  red  berries  dug  from  under 
the  leaves  in  the  woods.  The  night  of  her  ar- 
rival in  Faith  Cottage  she  was  treated  to  the 
first  bath  she  had  ever  received,  to  her  knowledge. 
She  seemed  so  foreign  to  all  of  her  surroundings 
here  and  so  unfitted  for  any  position  of  which 
we  could  think,  that  it  is  little  wonder  we  ques- 
tioned the  propriety  of  keeping  her  in  the  Home. 

For  days  she  went  about  in  a  state  of  bewil- 
derment, yet,  endeavoring  to  become  accustomed 
to  her  new  surroundings.  Even  the  food  placed 
before  her  was  ofttimes  so  different  from  what 
she  had  known  that  she  scarcely  knew  how  to 
proceed  to  eat  it.  For  a  long  time  wt  could  not 
discern  that  any  impressions  of  a  spiritual  nature 
were  being  made  upon  her  heart.  To  all  out- 
ward appearances,  she  seemed  to  be  unmoved. 
But  there  came  a  certain  Saturday  night  when 
we  saw  how  little  we  had  reckoned  on  the  quiet, 
invisible  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Some  of 
us  were  busy  in  the  kitchen  finishing  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  Sabbath,  when  word  came  that  we 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        137 

were  wanted  in  Amla's  room.  When  we  reached 
the  room,  we  found  that  nearly  all  of  the  Faith 
Cottage  family  had  preceded  us.  There  was 
Amla,  her  face  radiant  and  happy,  praising  the 
Lord  and  announcing  to  all  how  gloriously  the 
Lord  had  saved  her  as  she  lay  there  on  her  bed. 
You  would  not  have  seen  a  clearer  conversion  in 
a  camp-meeting  than  Amla  had  there  all  alone 
in  her  room,  without  any  instruction  or  help  from 
anybody  but  God.  The  entire  household  was 
stirred.  While  some  who  were  saved  sang  and 
rejoiced,  others  were  deeply  convicted  of  their 
own  need  of  Christ.  For  days  Amla's  face  was 
a  picture  of  heavenly  peace,  and  so  completely 
was  she  changed  in  her  appearance  that  it  seemed 
incredible  that  she  was  the  same  girl  that  had 
been  admitted  to  Faith  Cottage  so  soon  before. 
But  disease,  that  unfailing  subsequent  of  illicit 
living,  had  fastened  itself  upon  her  body.  She 
became  a  great  sufferer.  The  doctors  were  not 
sure  whether  her  trouble  was  tubercular  or  can- 
cerous. She  had  great  faith  in  prayer,  and  there 
are  few  whom  I  would  rather  hear  engaged  in 
prevailing  prayer  for  herself  or  the  interests  of 
our  work  than  Amla.  As  time  passed  she  be- 
came convinced  of  her  need  of  a  clean  heart  and 
soug'ht  it  earnestly.    One  night  in  a  little  parlor 


1 38     Life  of  Lucius  Buxyan  Compton 

meeting  God  answered  her  prayer  and  we  believe 
gave  her  her  heart's  desire.  While  Amla  was 
growing  in  grace,  her  body  was  becoming  weaker 
and  her  times  of  suffering  more  frequent,  and  the 
physicians  thought  she  could  scarcely  live  six 
months. 

A  famous  Baltimore  physician,  who  has  made 
some  remarkable  discoveries  of  the  power  of 
radium  over  disease,  came  to  Asheville  and  lec- 
tured. The  doctor,  who  was  especially  interested 
in  Amla's  case,  presented  her  condition  to  the 
specialist,  who  became  interested  and  offered  to 
treat  her  free  of  charge  if  she  came  to  Baltimore. 
Transportation  was  procured  and  money  to  meet 
other  expenses  was  contributed  by  people  of  the 
city,  and  she  was  sent  to  Baltimore.  After  two 
months  she  writes  that  she  feels  like  a  new  per- 
son through  the  effectiveness  of  the  treatment 
she  is  receiving.  She  gives  her  Heavenly  Father 
all  praise  and  glory  for  every  blessing  He  bestows 
upon  her.  Her  desire  is  to  become  a  missionary, 
that  she  may  tell  others  what  One  can  do  for  them 
who  has  done  such  marvelous  things  for  her. 

Hertes'  father  and  mother  parted  when  she  was 
a  young  girl  and  her  home  life  was  so  unhappy 
that  one  day  she  ran  away  with  a  man  who  made 
her  alluring  promises.     The  man  brought  her  to 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        139 

Asheville,  where  first  he  took  her  to  a  hotel,  but 
not  long  afterwards  he  ordered  a  carriage  and 
sent  her  to  Mountain  Street,  the  red-light  district 
of  Asheville.  Then  he  disappeared  after,  no 
doubt,  receiving  remuneration  for  his  crooked 
work.  Here  the  poor  girl  was  kept  until  her 
heart  was  wrought  upon  by  the  Holy  Spirit  so 
powerfully  that  she  could  not  endure  the  life 
longer,  and  she  made  up  her  mind  she  would 
either  find  shelter  in  Faith  Cottage  or  end  her 
own  life. 

One  night,  about  ten  o'clock,  a  telephone  mes- 
sage came  asking  if  we  would  receive  a  girl  from 
the  red-light  district  at  that  late  hour.  We  re- 
plied, "Certainly  we  will.  Any  girl  that  desires 
to  get  back  to  the  path  of  virtue  is  welcome  here 
at  any  hour."  About  an  hour  later  a  carriage 
stopped  at  the  Home  and  we  admitted  to  the  sit- 
ting-room one  of  the  most  pitiable  objects  our  eyes 
had  ever  beheld — a  girl  whose  face  was  marred 
by  the  ravages  of  sin,  her  hair  matted  and  full 
of  vermin,  and  her  clothing  unfit  for  appearance 
in  respectable  society.  She  had  evidently  drunk 
the  dregs  of  Sin's  bitter  cup  and  was  reaping  in 
her  own  body  the  harvest  of  that  which  she  had 
sown.  We  have  dealt  with  some  of  the  hardest 
cases,  but  it  seemed  to  us  wq  had  not  seen  a  more 


140     Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

hopeless  case.  Apparently  all  traces  of  woman- 
hood had  gone,  leaving  scarcely  a  vestige  of  char- 
acter upon  which  to  build  again.  I  went  back 
to  the  office  sick  at  heart,  knowing  that  only  God 
could  meet  the  exigencies  of  a  case  like  that. 
But  oh,  the  loving  kindness  of  our  Lord!  He 
knew  that  down  underneath  all  the  sin-made 
scars  there  beat  a  heart  sincere  in  its  longing  for 
a  better  life.  The  workers  took  charge  of  the 
poor  girl  and  cared  for  her  as  tenderly  as  if  she 
were  their  own  sister,  combing  out  her  tangled 
hair,  clothing  the  poor  wasted  body,  and  trying 
in  every  possible  way  to  bring  sunshine  and  hope 
to  the  despairing  life. 

Hertes  had  not  been  with  us  long  until  she 
sought  and  found  Jesus,  who  mercifully  wrought 
a  great  transformation  in  her  life.  Under  the 
training  she  received  at  Faith  Cottage,  she  be- 
came one  of  the  best  cooks  we  ever  had  in  the 
Home  and  became  a  competent  general  house- 
keeper. At  this  writing  she  is  in  a  Christian 
home  where  she  was  placed  from  Faith  Cottage, 
and  the  lady  of  the  home  says  she  has  become  a 
very  beautiful  young  woman,  and,  as  far  as  is 
known  by  us,  is  living  a  clean  and  happy  Chris- 
tian life. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Eliada  Orphanage:. 

It  would  not  demand  the  most  astute  prognos- 
ticator  to  foretell  the  inevitableness  of  an  institu- 
tion for  the  care  and  training  of  little  children  in 
connection  with  a  work  like  that  of  Faith  Cottage. 
Indeed,  long  before  such  an  institution  became 
the  splendid  achievement  that  is  now  so  widely 
known  as  "Eliada  Orphanage,"  Mr.  Compton 
and  his  corps  of  consecrated  assistants  had  vi- 
sions of  the  impending  demand  and  its  realiza- 
tion. Their  faith  was  true  to  Saint  Paul's  defi- 
nition: "The  promise  of  things  hoped  for,  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen.''  Many  babies  as 
'nnocent,  as  worthy,  as  full  of  promise,  as  yours 
and  mine  are  projected  upon  the  world  from  Faith 
Cottage;  dear  little  innocents  handicapped  and 
leaden-weighted  in  life's  long  race  by  conditions 
imposed   upon    them   by    Society's   chief   crime. 

141 


142     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyax  Compton 

Let  the  full  weight  of  the  load  of  shame  fall  upon 
the  head,  the  heart,  the  name,  of  him  who,  by 
wilful  sinning,  outrages  decency  and  justice,  but 
a  thousand  anathemas  upon  such  as  would  harm, 
by  commission  or  omission,  one  hair  of  the  heads 
of  these  little  ones.  These  are  as  worthy  of  love 
and  tender  care,  and  culture,  and  place  in  So- 
ciety's arms,  as  those  children  whom  the  law 
acknowledges  as  legitimate.  Before  God,  illegit- 
imately conceived  babies  become  legitimate  when 
He  breathes  into  them  the  breath  of  life;  and 
before  Him  the  child  of  the  harlot,  or  of  betrayed 
innocence,  stands  upon  an  equal  plane  with  the 
child  of  chastity — else  He  cannot  be  the  God  of 
the  Bible.  The  stigma  that  all  too  often  follows 
the  life  of  the  illegitimately  conceived  should,  by 
every  argument  of  justice  and  mercy,  rest  rather 
upon  those  in  whose  unchristian  hearts  the  re- 
proach is  harbored. 

Out  of  three  things  came  the  founding  of 
Eliada  Orphanage:  first,  the  unmistakable  lead- 
ership of  Almighty  God;  second,  the  insistent 
demand  for  such  an  institution,  growing  out  of 
the  work  of  Faith  Cottage;  third,  Lucius  B. 
Compton's  love  and  sympathy  for  little  children, 
and  particularly  the  unfortunate  ones.  The  cer- 
taintv  of  the  first  reason  will  impress  the  reader 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        143 

more  and  more  as  this  narrative  proceeds;  the 
second  is,  doubtless,  apparent  to  all;  I  will  here 
insert  a  brief  account  of  an  event  in  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Compton's  life  that  may  bear  heavily  upon  the 
fact  of  the  third. 

Little  Marietta,  the  only  child  with  which 
Heaven  blessed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton's  home, 
was,  for  a  few  brief  years,  the  sunshine  and  joy 
of  their  lives.  So  dearly  did  Marietta  love  her 
papa  that,  upon  his  return  from  frequent  absences 
from  home,  she  would  leap  into  his  arms  and  cry 
for  sheer  delight. 

Mr.  Compton  was  engaged  in  a  revival  meet- 
ing several  miles  out  from  Asheville  several 
years  ago,  when  a  messenger  brought  him  word 
that  Marietta  was  desperately  ill  and  he  should 
return  to  his  home  immediately.  As  quickly  as 
the  horse  he  rode  could  carry  him,  he  made  for 
home  and  reaching  there  at  midnight,  found  his 
little  daughter  gasping  for  breath  in  her  moth- 
er's arms.  With  heart  wrung  with  anguish,  Mr. 
Compton  sought  his  soul's  lifelong  refuge — God 
— in  prayer.  When  be  entreated  the  Father  to 
spare  his  darling  child,  His  answer  was,  "Can 
you  say,  'Thy  will  be  done'?''  "O  God,  it  cannot 
be  Thy  will  to  take  my  child !"  How  often  has 
that  questioning,  pleading,  incredulous  cry  gone 


144     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Godward  from  heartstrings  strained  to  the  break- 
ing !  Again  God's  voice,  "Can  you  say,  'Thy  will 
be  done'  ?"  Pregnant  memories,  on  fleet  but  gentle 
wing,  flit  across  his  turbulent  mind.  He  was 
once  more  back  in  Cincinnati,  in  that  poorly 
furnished  room  on  the  fifth  floor  of  the  old  tene- 
ment house.  Once  again  he  knelt  in  silent  won- 
der and  adoration  before  the  world-old  mystery 
— the  emergence  of  a  soul  upon  Eternity's  path- 
less sea.  He  looked  again  into  the  glad  eyes  of 
virgin  motherhood,  proud  as  though,  in  the 
world's  long  history,  none  other  had  performed 
that  miracle  but  she.  The  words  of  solemn  con- 
secration of  that  fragile  form  to  God  for  all  Time 
and  all  Eternity  were  recalled,  and  with  the  re- 
currence of  that  scene  came  peace  and  resigna- 
tion. Arising  from  his  knees,  he  said,  "Yes, 
Lord,  Thy  will  be  done."  He  had  found  the  balm 
for  all  of  life's  losses  and  crosses — the  power  to 
sincerely  say,  "Thy  will  be  done." 

Marietta  talked  much  to  her  father  and  moth- 
er until  the  day  dawned.  She  was  so  glad  that 
papa  had  come  home,  and  desired  to  be  so  held 
that  she  could  keep  her  arms  about  his  neck.  The 
"dawn  of  the  day  was  a  contradiction  to  those 
anxious  parents,  for  it  brought  with  it  the 
darkest  shadows  thev  had  ever  known,  for  Ma- 


Q 

W 
JH 
Pi 
< 

o 

w 
o 

< 

Pi 
o 

w 
p: 
w 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        147 

rietta  left  them  just  when  the  sun  was  cHmbing 
hardest  towards  the  meridian  of  its  splendor,  but, 
ere  it  reached  its  goal,  Marietta  had  reached  hers 
— in  the  bosom  of  God. 

Someone  has  said  of  Mr.  Compton:  "Here 
is  a  man  without  a  home  of  his  own,  that  pro- 
vides a  home  for  the  homeless ;  a  man  without  a 
child,  who  is  a  father  to  the  fatherless.''  And  I 
think,  often  as  he  holds  the  dear  little  orphan 
children  close  to  his  heart,  as  they  clamber  about 
him  at  Eliada,  that  the  memory  of  those  other 
little  arms  that  death  so  ruthlessly  untwined  from 
about  his  neck,  is  the  gentle  incentive  that  impels 
him  to  continue  to  sacrifice  his  own  life  in  order 
that  these  little  ones  may  not  lose  theirs. 

It  was  the  original  intention  to  utilize  a  por- 
tion of  the  tract  of  land  on  which  Faith  Cottage 
stands,  for  the  Orphanage.  This  purpose  was 
adhered  to  so  firmly  that  workmen  were  employed 
to  begin  to  place  the  materials  upon  the  premises 
for  the  erection  of  a  building  in  which  to  begin 
the  work.  Just  at  this  juncture  a  conference  of 
the  rescue  and  orphanage  workers  was  called  in 
which  every  known  detail  of  the  undertaking  was 
gone  over,  and  the  conclusion  was  reached  that 
the  Orphanage  should  not  be  erected  in  such 
close  proximity  to  the  Rescue  Home.     While  the 


148     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

children  were  small,  there  could  not  be  so  great 
objection  to  their  living  so  near  Faith  Cottage, 
but  as  they  advanced  to  years  of  understanding 
it  was  decided  that  they  should  not  be  kept  in 
such  close  relation  with  a  work  of  that  character. 

This  decision  wrought  great  havoc  with  all 
of  Mr.  Compton's  plans  made  up  to  that  date, 
and  now  the  problem  was  rendered  more  difficult 
through  the  necessity  of  finding  a  suitable  loca- 
tion and,  what  might  be  still  more  difficult,  pro- 
curing the  money  with  which  to  purchase  new 
property.  As  in  the  case  of  procuring  Faith  Cot- 
tage, so  in  procuring  Orphanage  property,  Mr. 
Compton  and  his  helpers  kept  the  matter  before 
God  in  prayer. 

Mr.  Compton  was  personally  acquainted  with 
a  family  that  owned  five  acres  of  land  a  few  miles 
west  of  Asheville,  and  he  learned  that  the  own- 
ers were  anxious  to  sell.  An  old  weather-beaten 
cabin  and  a  small  log  barn  were  the  only  improve- 
ments upon  the  property.  But  the  location  was 
superb,  for  it  commanded  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing views  in  all  of  that  scenic  country.  The 
price  for  which  the  property  could  be  purchased 
was  five  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Compton  paid 
seventy-five  dollars  down  and  made  satisfactory 
arrangem.ents  for  future  payments. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        149 

In  the  month  of  June,  1906,  two  weeks  after 
the  purchase  of  this  property,  Miss  Edith  Van 
Dusen,  with  seven  of  her  Httle  charges,  moved 
into  the  rickety  cabin.  I  have  purposely  re- 
frained thus  far  from  including  the  names  of  any 
of  Mr.  Compton's  matrons,  missionary  workers, 
or  other  valuable  assistants  in  the  story  of  his 
institutions;  it  being  my  purpose  to  devote  a 
short  chapter  to  words  of  appreciation  for 
that  elect  company,  without  whose  loyalty,  sac- 
rifice, counsel  and  devotion  this  work,  under 
Mr.  Compton's  leadership,  could  never  have 
been  maintained.  I  am  compelled,  however,  to 
deviate  from  this  plan  in  the  case  of  Miss  Van 
Dusen,  for,  in  the  eight  years  of  Eliada's  history, 
she  has  played  as  prominent  a  part  in  the  work  of 
the  Orphanage  in  mothering  the  children  as  Mr. 
Compton  has  in  fathering  them. 

One  of  the  gravest  problems  that  confronted 
Mr.  Compton  in  his  early  plans  for  the  Orphan- 
age was  the  finding  of  a  woman  possessing  high 
ideals,  practical  efficiency  and  unswerving  devo- 
tion to  the  arduous  task  of  mothering  large  num- 
bers of  other  people's  babies.  God  had,  as  events 
have  proven,  in  Miss  Van  Dusen  one  who 
met  the  exacting  requirements  most  admirably. 
Not  only  has  Miss  Van  Dusen  taken  the  heavy 


150     Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

responsibilities  of  actual  work  and  management 
of  the  Orphanage,  but  her  quiet,  practical  and 
wise  counsels  have  often  helped  to  clear  the 
clouded  sky  in  exigencies  and  emergencies  that 
were  fraught  with  far-reaching  consequences. 

It  may  be  possible,  but  it  is  highly  improbable, 
that  an  Orphanage  was  ever  started  under  more 
humble  conditions.  It  would  have  been  quite 
impossible  for  the  children  to  have  occupied  such 
a  dilapidated  structure  as  the  old  cabin  in  the 
winter  season,  but  during  the  months  from  June 
to  November  they  managed  to  do  so.  All  of  the 
children  and  the  two  workers  slept  in  the  loft  on 
clear  nights,  but  rainy  ones  were  spent  dodging 
around  trying  to  evade  the  water  that  dripped 
through  the  roof,  first  here  and  then  there.  By 
November  an  inexpensive  building  was  erected 
to  serve  temporarily.  This  building  contained 
one  room  twenty-four  feet  square  by  twelve  feet 
high.  The  workers,  much  amused  over  this  in- 
teresting structure,  and  sincerely  grateful  for  an\ 
improvement  over  the  old  cabin,  gave  the  new 
abode  the  name  of  "Glory  Inn.''  Miss  Hattie 
M.  Byers,  of  Pennsylvania,  had  now  come  to  Miss 
Van  Dusen's  assistance  as  the  children's  teacher, 
sharing  with  her  all  of  the  many  burdens  incident 
to  this  young  institution. 


f  i 


A 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        153 

Mr.  Compton,  without  a  dollar  in  hand,  was 
pushing  his  plans  for  the  erection  of  a  seven- 
thousand-dollar  building;  and,  passing  through 
all  sorts  of  financial  tests,  the  day  came  round 
when  the  foundation  of  the  contemplated  building 
was  completed  and  paid  for.  Never  did  Satan 
test  these  people  more  severely  than  at  this  time. 
Winter  weather  was  very  severe;  most  of  the 
children  were  sick;  the  workers  were  also  ill; 
"Glory  Inn''  shivered  amid  the  chilling  blasts; 
the  foundation  of  the  home  that  was  to  be  was 
standing  idly  and  accusingly  by,  sustaining  only 
the  doubts  and  fears  of  friends  and  foes.  Means 
to  begin  the  superstructure  were  not  forthcoming 
and  the  faith  of  Compton  and  his  helpers  was 
sorely  tried.  Mr.  Compton  was  adversely  criti- 
cised for  permitting  the  ladies  and  children  to 
remain  in  the  inadequate  structure  in  which  they 
were  housed.  He  deeply  deplored  the  fact  of  their 
being  there,  but  they  were  there  by  their  own 
choice  and  were  happy  in  bearing  with  any  con- 
ditions for  Jesus'  sake. 

During  these  dark  days  Mr.  Compton  went 
East,  where  he  was  called  for  evangelistic  service, 
and  during  these  meetings  he  gave  two  days  over 
to  fasting  and  prayer,  for  God  to  come  to  his 
help  and  provide  the  new  building  for  Eliada. 


154     Life  ok  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

One  whole  night  he  agonized  before  God  and 
gained  a  satisfying  assurance  that  God  would 
soon  answer  his  cry.  A  passage  of  Scripture 
deeply  impressed  and  comforted  him,  which,  at 
the  same  hour,  also  came  with  great  forcefulness 
to  one  of  the  workers  at  home — a  thousand  miles 
away.  Mr.  Compton  was  to  preach  the  after- 
noon after  the  night  spent  in  prayer.  He  went 
to  a  restaurant  to  procure  his  dinner  and,  after 
he  seated  himself,  a  lady  who  knew  him  said, 
"Brother  Compton,  last  night  God  told  me  to 
give  you  a  thousand  dollars  for  your  work." 
Hungry  and  weak  though  he  was,  Mr.  Compton 
left  the  room  and  hurried  to  his  own,  that  he 
might  pour  out  his  heart  in  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment to  God.  He  sent  a  special  message  bearing 
the  good  news  to  the  anxious  ones  at  home,  and 
this  started  up  a  similar  scene  among  the  workers 
and  children  there. 

Carpenters  were  employed  to  begin  the  erec- 
tion of  the  new  building  in  January,  1907,  and, 
although  the  building  cost  over  $7,000  and  was 
begun  with  only  $1,000  in  sight,  the  carpenters 
were  never  laid  off  a  single  day  on  account  of 
lack  of  funds  to  proceed.  It  must  not  be  pre- 
sumed, however,  that  money  came  easily  and 
abundantly,  for  every  dollar's  worth  of  material 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        155 

that  went  into  that  structure  cost  Mr.  Compton 
and  his  helpers  tears,  and  groans,  and  heaviness 
of  heart,  beyond  all  ordinary  comprehension. 
The  following  incident  is  representative  of  the 
manner  in  which  God  provided  for  Eliada's  erec- 
tion. 

One  Friday  Mr.  Compton's  secretary  asked 
him  if  he  had  told  the  carpenters  that  there  was 
no  money  with  which  to  settle  with  them  the 
next  afternoon.  The  carpenters  always  came  in 
to  Faith  Cottage  on  Saturdays  to  receive  their 
week's  wages.  Mr.  Compton  told  his  secretary 
that  the  men  did  not  know  but  that  he  had  an 
abundance  of  money.  By  Saturday  noon  no 
money  had  been  received  and  the  men  had  gath- 
ered upon  the  front  veranda  of  Faith  Cottage 
waiting  to  receive  their  checks.  Mr.  Compton 
sat  on  the  rear  veranda  engaged  in  prayer  for 
God  to  see  him  through  this  dilemma.  Just  then 
there  was  a  telephone  call  for  Mr.  Compton. 
Placing  the  receiver  to  his  ear,  a  woman's  voice 
said,  "Mr.  Compton,  I  am  going  East  this  after- 
noon, and  I  would  like  you  to  meet  me  at  the  bank. 
I  wish  to  give  you  three  hundred  dollars  towards 
the  erection  of  the  Orphanage  building."  Mr. 
Compton  will  be  excused  for  forgetting  to  hang 
up  the  receiver.     He  rushed  out  of  the  house  and 


156     Life:  of  Lucius  Bun  van  Compton 

told  the  men  he  was  very  sorry  to  have  kept  them 
waiting,  but  it  was  quite  unavoidable ;  that  he  was 
now  rushing  to  the  bank  to  make  a  deposit  and 
secure  them  their  checks. 

With  a  payroll  running  from  twenty-five  to 
eighty-five  dollars  per  week,  in  ways  similar  to 
the  above,  God  supplied  the  money  from  week  to 
week,  until  the  first  large  building  connected  with 
Eliada  Orphanage  was  completed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

EUADA  IS   ''BKAUTITOIv  for   SITUATION." 

One  day  during  the  erection  of  the  first  large 
Orphanage  building,  Mr.   Compton,  apparently 
by  chance,  but  doubtless  by  God's  design,  met  a 
gentleman  from  Indiana  who  was  about  to  leave 
Asheville  and  desired  to  see  Mr.  Compton  before 
his  departure.     Had  Mr.  Compton  failed  to  pass 
a  certain  merchantile  establishment,  at  just  the 
ri§;ht  moment,  the  gentleman  would  have  left  the 
city  without  the  interview,  which  was  to  prove  of 
great  worth  to  the  Orphanage  interests.     Mr. 
Compton  was  to  leave  the  city  also  the  same  day 
to  meet  an  evangelistic  appointment,  but  the  two 
men  mutually  agreed  to  defer  their  departure 
until  the  next  day,  in  order  that  the  gentleman 
might  have  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  Orphan- 
age   propertv.    Procuring    a    conveyance,    they 
drove  out  to  Eliada.    The  Indiana  gentleman  dis- 

157 


158     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

played  a  marked  interest  in  the  humble  tempor- 
ary accommodations  for  the  work  and  also  in  the 
large  building  which  w^as  then  in  the  early  stages 
of  erection.  After  asking  numerous  questions 
and  engaging  in  prayer  with  the  workers,  the 
gentleman  bade  all  farewell,  and  upon  making  a 
few  purchases  of  furniture  for  ''Glory  Inn,"  he 
left  the  city. 

A  few  months  after  this  incident,  Mr.  Comp- 
ton passed  through  one  of  the  hardest  tests,  physi- 
cally and  financially,  he  had  ever  known.  Physi- 
cally, he  was  bordering  on  nervous  prostration; 
financially,  he  was  already  there.  Not  only  were 
the  means  for  continuing  the  building  operations 
exhausted,  but  the  needs  of  the  general  mainte- 
nance budget  were  running  behind.  In  the  midst 
of  this  general  stringency,  Mr.  Compton  called 
upon  all  of  his  assistants  to  set  aside  an  entire 
week  for  specific  prayer  for  these  needs.  That 
was  a  memorable  week  to  all,  for  God  met  with 
them  very  graciously.  One  morning  a  passage 
of  Scripture  from  the  Book  of  Samuel  was  given 
to  the  company,  with  all  the  forcefulness  and  ap- 
plicability of  a  special  revelation:  "Thus  shall 
ye  say  unto  the  men  of  Jabesh-gilead ;  to-morrow 
by  that  time  the  sun  be  hot,  ye  shall  have  help/' 
The  whole  company  received  this  promise  with 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        159 

great  gladness  and  changed  the  tenor  of  their 
prayers  from  importunity  to  praise.  The  next 
day  Mr.  Compton  received  a  letter  from  the  In- 
diana gentleman  containing  a  check  for  three 
hundred  dollars.  In  the  letter  he  said  that  he 
had  a  distinct  conviction  that  at  this  time  he 
should  send  some  assistance. 

During  this  period  Mr.  Compton  was  called 
to  a  certain  city  to  conduct  a  meeting  in  a  mission. 
He  was  entertained  in  a  large  hotel  where  many 
wealthy  and  fashionable  guests  were  stopping. 
Mr.  Compton  left  some  printed  matter  relating 
to  his  North  Carolina  institutions  lying  about 
where  the  literature  got  into  the  hands  of  these 
wealthy  people  and  succeeded,  as  he  had  hoped, 
in  creating  an  interest  in  his  work. 

One  afternoon  one  of  the  influential  women 
approached  Mr.  Compton  with  great  animation, 
saying,  "I  am  glad  to  tell  you,  Mr.  Compton,  that 
on  Friday  night  there  is  to  be  a  reception  here. 
We  are  to  have  some  euchre  (a  certain  society 
card  game)  and  all  of  the  proceeds  of  the  party 
are  to  be  given  you  for  your  Orphanage."  Mr. 
Compton,  dazed  with  the  audacity  of  the  propo- 
sition, succeeded  in  preserving  enough  breath  to 
say,  '^My  dear  lady,  it  would  be  impossible  for 
me  to  accept  the  proceeds  of  a  gambling  party 


i6o     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

for  God's  work."  After  informing  Mr.  Comp- 
ton that  the  party  was  very  select,  and  intimating 
that  the  quahty  of  the  company  would  successful- 
ly sanctify  any  immoral  or  doubtful  acts  which 
might  be  indulged  in,  she  said  nothing  farther  to 
him  that  day. 

The  next  afternoon  the  same  woman  ap- 
proached Mr.  Compton  again  and  made  a 
proposition  which  appeared  to  her  to  be  a 
satisfactory  solution  of  the  matter.  She  said 
that  it  had  been  agreed  upon  that  a  cer- 
tain gentleman  of  considerable  distinction 
should  make  a  brief  speech  during  the  even- 
ing party  and  call  for  contributions  from  the 
guests.  Again  Mr.  Compton  very  courteously, 
but  firmly,  told  the  woman  that  he  could  not  ac- 
cept money  contributed  on  an  occasion  of  that 
kind.  He  told  her  brieflv  the  storv  of  his  life  of 
prayer  and  faith  and  that  he  depended  upon  God 
to  supply  every  dollar  of  his  needs,  and  he  felt  he 
w^ould  be  unworthy  of  his  Heavenly  Father's  con- 
fidence if  he  consented  to  receive  money  from  such 
a  project  as  she  was  representing.  This  closed 
the  matter,  as  far  as  the  card  party  was  concern- 
ed, but  Mr.  Compton's  adherence  to  his  convic- 
tions won  him  the  respect  of  many  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  incident,  and  some  of  them 


o 
o 

Q 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        163 

made  direct  contributions  to  the  work.  The  wife 
of  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  arranged  for  his 
free  entertainment  throughout,  not  only  that  par- 
ticular stay  in  the  city,  but  any  subsequent  visits 
he  might  pay  them.  Mr.  Compton  believes  that 
he  received  more  money  as  a  result  of  standing 
firmly  for  his  convictions  than  he  would  have  done 
by  compromising  with  those  people ;  and  then  he 
retained  that  which  he  prizes  more  highly  than 
anything  else,  the  consciousness  of  God*s  loving 
favor. 

In  October,  1908,  the  Orphanage  building  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $7,027.00,  exclusive  of 
painting  and  furnishing.  The  building  possesses 
the  incomparable  charm  of  homeiness,  while  the 
architectural  features  suggest  a  spacious  summer 
hotel.  Three  sides  of  the  great  square  building 
are  completely  surrounded,  from  foundation  to 
cornice,  with  double-tiered  verandas — spacious, 
high  and  airy — inviting  the  cool  breezes  fresh 
blown  from  forest-covered  mountains  and  ver- 
dant valleys,  far  and  near. 

The  building  contains  twenty-two  rooms. 
Entering  from  the  front,  one  stands  within  a 
spacious  hall  that  bisects  the  entire  first  floor, 
and  from  which  a  stairway  leads  to  the  second 
floor.    The  inviting  room  at  your  right,  contain- 


164     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

ing  a  piano  and  Victrola  and  modest  furnishings, 
all  of  which  are  the  gifts  of  loyal  friends,  is  the 
parlor.  Large  doors  opening  from  the  rear  of 
this  room  lead  into  a  large,  finely  proportioned 
chapel,  ample  as  a  gathering  place  for  the  num- 
erous family  and  also  to  serve  upon  occasions  for 
neighbors,  who  sometimes  attend  select  meetings 
conducted  by  visitors  who  pass  through.  The 
room  at  your  left  as  you  re-enter  the  central  hall 
is  utilized  as  the  private  quarters  of  the  matron, 
or  on  occasions  as  a  guest-room.  Back  of  this 
is  the  dining-room,  where  as  many  as  thirty  boys 
and  girls  gather  three  times  each  day  and  quietly, 
homeily,  good-manneredly,  partake  of  Eliada's 
wholesome  fare.  Some  of  the  larger  girls,  who 
have  grown  from  little  tots  under  the  care  of 
Eliada,  and  are  admirably  trained  in  the  art  of 
good  housekeeping,  attend  the  tables.  Here  the 
visitor  beholds  a  healthy,  hearty  group  of  nor- 
mal American  boys  and  girls,  so  contented  and 
happy  that  they  seem  never  to  wonder  what  all 
this  means  and  where  is  father  and  where  is 
mother?  Miss  Van  Dusen  is  "Mamma  Edith" 
to  every  one  and  Mr.  Compton  is  the  only  father 
they  have  ever  known. 

Looking  through  some  literature  pertaining 
to  Eliada,  I  find  the  following  expression  of  the 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.       165 

Home's  lofty  policy:  "From  the  founding  of 
Eliada  Orphanage,  we  have  sought  to  eliminate 
the  marks  of  institutional  life,  such  as  uniformity 
of  garb,  cutting  the  girls'  hair,  cropping  closely 
the  boys'  heads,  or  providing  more  abundant  and 
a  higher  quality  of  food  for  workers  than  the 
children  regularly  receive.  The  ideal  we  had  in 
mind  for  these  children  was  true  home  life,  and 
shall  continue  to  be  so,  even  though  this  plan  is 
more  expensive  than  the  strictly  institutional. 
We  believe  that  our  God,  who  is  the  Founder  of 
the  Home,  will  enable  us  to  perpetuate  this  insti- 
tution on  this  standard.  We  are  constantly  seek- 
ing to  discover  means  for  making  Eliada  more 
homelike.'' 

Back  of  the  dining-room  is  a  well-equipped 
kitchen  and  back  of  that  are  the  rear  porches. 
The  second  and  third  floors  are  given  over  to 
sleeping  apartments — the  second  floor  to  the  girls 
and  the  third  floor  to  the  boys.  This  arrange- 
ment, however,  is  not  permanent,  for  with  the 
erection  of  the  splendid  twelve-thousand-dollar 
brick  building  which  is  to  be  pushed  to  completion 
as  fast  as  the  necessary  funds  are  in  hand,  the 
girls  will  move  over  to  the  new  quarters. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the 
building,  as  well  as  an  exceedingly  unique  one,  is 


i66     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

the  little  room  that  crowns  the  building  at  the 
highest  point  of  the  roof.  Every  nail  and  brick 
and  board  in  Eliada  came  through  prayer,  and 
Mr.  Compton  included  in  the  plan  for  the  build- 
ing this  isolated  room  on  the  roof  where  w^orkers 
could  retire  at  any  time  and  rest,  meditate  and 
pray.  I  wonder  if  the  world  contains  a  single 
place  that  lends  itself  more  happily  to  these  es- 
sentials of  a  busy  Christian  life? 

Entering  through  a  trapdoor  opening  from 
the  attic,  one  stands  in  a  room  about  seven  feet 
wide  by  ten  feet  long.  As  he  observes  the  fur- 
nishings, he  thinks  of  the  chamber  in  the  home 
of  the  woman  of  Shunem,  wnth  its  stool,  its  candle 
and  its  cot,  where  Elisha  the  prophet  was  given 
welcome  and  shelter  whenever  he  cared  to  avail 
himself  of  it.  The  walls  of  this  room  are  com- 
posed mostly  of  glass,  for  there  are  six  large  win- 
dows, one  at  each  end  and  two  on  each  side.  The 
room  is  ceiled  and  a  small  rug  relieves  the  bare- 
ness of  the  floor.  It  requires  no  talent  to  de- 
scribe the  interior  of  this  room,  but  w^ho  is  com- 
petent to  convey  to  others  the  embarrassment  of 
grandeur  that  greets  one's  eyes  as  he  looks  forth 
from  those  windows  and  beholds  a  thousand  ex- 
clamation points  of  wonder?  When  God  made 
that  country,  like  Archimedes  who  ran  half  naked 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        169 

into  the  street,  He  forgot  Himself  in  the  intensity 
of  his  appHcation  to  the  creative  task,  and  made 
a  second  Paradise. 

He  who  visits  western  North  Carohna,  and, 
standing  upon  some  lofty  promontory,  sweeps  his 
eyes  across  her  broad  expanses — composite  of  all 
the  variations  and  variegations  from  peaceful 
valley  to  hazardous  mountain  peak — will  seek  the 
whole  world  in  vain  for  superior  scenic  grandeur, 
though  he  run  the  gamut  of  earth's  depressions 
and  elevations  from  the  deep  and  dismal  Dead 
Sea  o£  Palestine  to  Mount  Everest's  snow-bound 
summit,  spotless  crown  of  the  Himalayas.  The 
finger-prints  of  God  are  there,  and  God  Himself 
is  there,  and  calloused  and  cold  is  the  heart  of 
the  man  who,  standing  amidst  such  prodigality 
of  grandeur,  does  not  feel  profoundly  the  Al- 
mighty's presence. 

We  will  begin  our  study  of  Eliada's  environ- 
ment from  the  window  opening  towards  the 
west.  Those  mountains  that  greedily  devour 
each  dying  day,  and  seem  never  surfeited  with 
the  regularity  of  their  oft-repeated  feast  are  the 
Balsams  and  Smokies — twenty-eight  miles  away 
— separating  the  "Land  of  the  Sky"  from  the 
plains  of  Tennessee.  Do  you  wonder  at  the  beau- 
ty of  mountains  that  feast  daily  on  sunbeams  of 


170     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

purple  and  azure  and  gold,  and  whose  wine  is  the 
rain  and  the  dew,  and  whose  host  is  the  infinite 
God  ?  Those  mountains  a  little  to  the  southward, 
keeping  your  eyes  upon  about  the  same  elevation, 
are  the  Great  Balsams.  Twenty  miles  southwest 
of  us  stands  Pisgah,  and  the  lesser  one,  hugging 
up  so  snugly  to  her,  is  the  Rat.  Both  of  these 
mountains,  and  many  miles  of  their  environs,  be- 
longed to  the  great  Vanderbilt  estate  until  re- 
cently when  the  area  was  taken  over  by  the  Gov- 
ernment as  a  part  of  the  great  Appalachian  For- 
est Preserve.  Sixty  miles  off  yonder,  amid  those 
dim  and  distant  outlines,  lies  South  Carolina. 
Now  rest  your  eyes  a  moment  on  a  nearer  view ; 
that  structure  almost  at  our  feet  is  the  Vander- 
bilt mansion — seven  miles  away — the  three-mil- 
lion-dollar palace,  man's  poor  attempt  to  compete 
wdth  the  mansions  in  Glory.  Directly  east  of  us, 
nestled  so  securely  there  within  her  mighty  moun- 
tain ramparts,  lies  Asheville,  the  rendezvous  of 
the  rich,  the  sanitarium  of  the  tubercular,  an.i 
the  paradise  of  the  lovers  of  Nature  in  her  most 
gorgeous  robes.  Ten  miles  straight  eastw^ard 
are  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  and  about  twelve 
miles  to  the  northeast  you  behold  the  summit  of 
the  Craggies.  The  peak  so  plainly  discernible 
thirtv  miles  northeast  of  us  is  Mount  Mitchel,  the 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        171 

highest  elevation  in  America  east  of  the  Rockies. 
The  altitude  of  Eliada  is  abouty  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.     The 
farm,  with  its  acres  of  wheat  and  corn,  its  large 
vegetable  gardens,  its  berry  patches,  its  grazing 
grounds,  its  orchards  and  its  wood  of  pine  and 
oak  trees,  its  myrtle  and  rhododendron,  the  gush- 
ing freestone  springs,  its  school,  its  chapel,  its 
keeper\s  home  and  the  great  Orphanage  buildings 
—all  constitute  a  beautiful  pearl  set  in  a  royal 
diadem.    Could  it  be  possible  that  such  an  en- 
vironment as  this  would  fail  to  tend  to  modify 
the  most  evil  predispositions  inherent  in  any  child 
reared  at  Eliada? 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Faith  and  Fruits. 

The  formal  dedication  of  Eliada  Orphanage 
occurred  in  October,  1908.  This  day  fell  on  the 
closing  Sabbath  of  the  annual  camp-meeting 
which  is  held  on  the  Orphanage  property.  A 
great  company  were  present  to  witness  the  dedi- 
cation, among  them  donors  from  far  and  near 
who  had  made  real  sacrifices  to  assure  the  erec- 
tion of  the  building.  Rev.  John  S.  Kimber,  of 
Rhode  Island,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Incorporators,  delivered  the  dedicatory  address. 
As  the  speaker  told  the  story  of  the  prayers  and 
tears  and  sacrifices  and  discouragements  and 
triumphs  of  faith  through  which  Mr.  Compton 
and  his  noble  band  of  consecrated  helpers  had 
passed  to  make  Eliada  possible,  so  profoundly 
were  the  people  moved  that  strong  men  broke  out 
in  tears.    In  the  twentieth  century  a  miracle  had 

172 


The:  Mountaine:e:r  Evangelist.        173 

been  wrought  as  amazing  as  when  Christ  healed 
the  sick  and  gave  sight  to  the  bhnd.  Many  of 
those  who  had  contributed  the  larger  sums  to- 
wards the  building  were  present,  and  with  tear- 
filled  eyes  they  endeavored  to  express  the  glad- 
ness of  their  hearts  that  they  had  obeyed  God 
when  He  laid  the  needs  of  this  institution  upon 
them. 

There  was  one  need  of  the  new  building  that 
seemed  to  be  imperative — that  was,  a  first-class 
heating  system.  For  this  the  workers  prayed 
until  they  felt  that  security  of  faith  which  follows 
prevailing  prayer.  The  story  of  this  experience 
reveals  one  of  the  clearest  instances  of  how  one 
disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision  can  thwart  the 
plans  of  God.  Now  it  was  expected  that  the 
heating  plant  should  cost  about  one  thousand 
dollars.  A  part  of  the  necessary  money  arrived, 
but  months  passed  by  and  brought  no  more  for 
this  purpose.  Winter,  with  unusual  severity, 
came  on  and  the  Home  was  extremely  uncom- 
fortable in  spite  of  all  the  expediencies  resorted 
to  to  keep  it  warm,  and  the  workers  wondered 
how  this  could  be  after  they  had  such  clear  as- 
surance that  God  had  answered  their  prayers  for 
this  particular  need.  The  winter  passed,  and 
the  following  summer,  and  still  the  heating  sys- 


174     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

tern  was  as  remote  a  possibility  as  ever.  In  the 
early  fall  Mr.  Compton  received  the  following 
letter  from  a  man  in  the  North : 

*'Rev.  L.  B.  Compton, 

Asheville,  N.  C. 
"My  Dear  Brother  :— 

"I  have  a  very  painful  confession  to  make  to 
you.  Last  October  I  received  a  sum  of  money 
from  my  father's  estate.  One  day  God  told  me 
to  send  you  seven  hundred  dollars  for  the  Orphan- 
age. I  promised  I  would  do  so,  but  kept  defer- 
ring the  matter  until  at  last  I  invested  the  money 
in  other  ways.  I  have  lost  all  through  these  in- 
vestments, and  shall  probably  lose  my  home.  God 
has  forgiven  me  for  my  disobedience  and  I  ask 
you  also  to  forgive  me. 

"Your  brother,  etc." 

This  letter  accounts  for  Eliada  being  without 
a  heating  system  one  cold  winter  and  doubtless 
accounts  for  the  misfortunes  which  followed  the 
man  who  disobeyed  God.  There  was  another 
who  heard  God's  voice  and  obeyed  His  will,  and 
before  the  next  winter  came  round  Eliada  was 
equipped  with  a  splendid  heating  system  that  has 
been  a  source  of  great  joy  to  every  inmate  of 
the  Home. 


TllK  AioUNTAINKKR  EVANGKLIST.  1 75 

While  Mr.  Compton  was  stopping  for  a  few 
days  in  Philadelphia  with  a  friend,  he  told  him 
of  the  need  of  a  water  system  for  the  Orphanage, 
a  system  that  would  carry  the  water  from  a  deep 
well  to  the  third  story  of  the  building.  It  so 
happened  that  this  man  had  a  good  practical 
knowledge  of  that  sort  of  work  and  offered  to 
plan  it,  install  it,  and  pay  for  it,  himself.  And 
thus  another  very  essential  need  of  Eliada  was 
supplied. 

One  evening  at  the  supper  table  one  of  the 
little  boys  passed  his  cup  for  a  second  helping  of 
milk.  He  was  told  that  the  milk  was  all  gone 
and  that  Eliada  needed  another  cow,  and  that 
they  might  ask  God  to  send  them  another.  That 
night  several  of  the  children  did  not  fail  to  pray 
for  a  cow.  In  about  ten  days  a  gentleman  in 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  sent  Mr.  Compton  forty- 
five  dollars  with  which  to  purchase  a  cow  for 
Eliada  Orphanage. 

About  this  time  the  whooping-cough  broke 
out  among  the  children  and  a  number  of  the 
cases  were  exceedingly  grave,  requiring  atten- 
tion day  and  night.  The  workers  were  so  badly 
worn  that  they  could  not  keep  up  under  the  strain 
much  longer.  A  call  to  prayer  for  this  specific 
difficulty  was  made,  and  from  the  hour  that  those 


176     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

prayers  were  offered  the  whooping-cough  was 
greatly  modified  and  the  children  slept  through- 
out the  nights.  Several  of  the  children  that  had 
been  exposed,  and  were  expected  to  take  the 
cough,  remained  perfectly  well.  Of  course  skep- 
tics and  strangers  to  the  reality  of  anything  from 
God,  are  ready  with  their  puerile  assertion  that 
"it  just  happened  so,''  but  those  folks  at  Eliada, 
who  day  by  day  ask  and  receive  from  God,  know 
differently. 

Little  John  Furman  was  a  very  delicate  little 
fellow  when  he  was  admitted  as  a  member  of 
Eliada's  cosmopolitan  family.  After  a  little 
while  the  doctors  said  he  could  not  live,  for  the 
lining  of  his  stomach  was  gone,  and  he  could 
never  retain  sufficient  food  to  maintain  life.  The 
little  fellow  cried  continually  with  hunger  and 
pain.  One  day  Miss  Van  Dusen  brought  the 
poor  suffering  form  to  Mr.  Compton  just  before 
he  was  to  leave  for  a  long  absence,  and  said, 
"Brother  Compton,  I  regret  your  leaving  home 
with  this  child  in  this  condition."  At  once  Mr. 
Compton  called  for  special  prayer,  in  which  they 
asked  God  either  to  heal  the  little  sufferer  or  to 
take  him  to  Heaven.  If  the  child  could  be  raised 
to  God's  glory,  they  prayed  that  he  might  be 
healed.     After  that  season  of  prayer  little  John 


The  Mountaine:e:r  Evange:list.        179 

fell  asleep  and  awakened  at  feeding  time  and  re- 
tained his  food  perfectly,  and  within  a  week  waS 
so  fat  and  hearty,  as  compared  with  his  previous 
condition,  that  the  doctor  who  had  given  him  up 
to  die  could  scarcely  believe  him  to  be  the  same 
child.  The  healing  was  instantaneous  and  to- 
day John  Furman  is  one  of  the  sturdiest  boys  in 
the  family. 

The  student  of  the  history  of  the  institutions 
founded  and  fathered  by  Mr.  Compton  is  made 
to  realize  one  element  in  the  whole  enterprise 
that  acts  like  yeast  in  the  dough ;  that  is,  the  ele- 
ment of  expansion.  Had  Isaiah  referred  speci- 
fically to  this  work  when  he  wrote  the  following, 
it  could  not  apply  more  accurately:  "Enlarge 
the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth 
the  curtain  of  thine  habitation:  spare  not,  length- 
en thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes,  for  thou 
shalt  break  forth  on  thy  right  hand  and  on  the 
left." 

Up  to  the  spring  of  1910,  Eliada  had  but  nine 
acres  of  land,  and  this  area  was  completely  sur- 
rounded by  other  people's  property,  making  it 
necessary  to  drive  through  a  private  roadway  to 
reach  the  public  thoroughfare.  There  were 
twenty-five  acres  of  land  adjoining  Eliada  for 
which  Mr.  Compton  had  long  prayed.  The  Orph- 


i8o     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

anage  needed  the  tract  very  greatly  for  garden- 
ing, farming  purposes  and  pasturage  for  the 
stock.  Like  EHada's  nine  acres,  these  twenty- 
five  acres  were  exceedingly  desirable,  as  they 
commanded  a  most  picturesque  view  and  were 
very  fertile.  Twice  the  rumor  was  current  that 
the  property  was  sold,  but  so  confident  was  Mr. 
Compton  that  the  property  would  come  to  Eliada 
that  he  kept  right  on  expecting  God  to  provide 
the  money  for  its  purchase.  The  lowest  cash 
price  that  would  be  accepted  for  the  property  was 
$1,850.00.  Mr.  Compton  was  advised  to  borrow 
the  money  and  buy  the  land,  but  he  refused  to 
take  such  a  step.  He  felt  that  if  it  was  God's 
will  for  Eliada  to  own  it.  He  would  provide  the 
money  for  its  purchase.  Mr.  Compton  was 
engaged  in  a  meeting  at  Dublin,  Indiana, 
and  at  its  close  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  spend 
a  couple  of  days  with  a  gentleman  'living  in  a 
near-by  city.  This  man,  who  had  previously 
done  much  for  Eliada,  manifested  a  keen  interest 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  present  status  of 
the  work.  He  asked  Mr.  Compton  if  he  had  pro- 
cured the  much-desired  tract  of  twenty-five  acres. 
Mr.  Compton  informed  him  that  he  had  not  been 
able  as  yet  to  procure  the  property,  but  was  sin- 
cerely trusting  God  to  make  its  acquisition  possi- 


Tut  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        i8i 

ble.  The  subject  was  dropped  and  not  referred 
to  again  until  just  before  Mr.  Compton  was  about 
to  leave,  when  the  gentleman  said,  "Brother 
Compton,  I  believe  the  Lord  wants  me  to  buy 
that  tract  of  land  for  the  Orphanage."  Mr. 
Compton  has  been  on  such  intimate  terms  with 
the  improbable  for  so  many  years  that  it  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  astonish  him  any  more,  but 
he  has  never  reached  the  place  where  he  can  sleep 
w^ll  the  night  after  God  sends  some  splendid  gift 
to  his  work  in  answer  to  his  earnest  prayer.  His 
chief  occupation  that  night  was  an  endeavor  to 
express  to  God  his  appreciation  of  His  never-fail- 
ing goodness.  As  soon  as  he  reached  Asheville, 
he  purchased  the  property.  The  owner,  when  he 
learned  how  the  money  was  received  in  answer 
to  prayer,  w^as  so  affected  that  he  made  a  gener- 
ous deduction  from  the  original  price. 

In  August,  19 10,  Mr.  Compton  began  the 
erection  of  a  school  building.  After  proceeding 
to  a  certain  point,  which  nearly  covered  his  orig- 
inal plans,  he  was  advised  to  enlarge  the  building 
by  adding  a  large  chapel  for  the  accommodation 
of  public  meetings.  Mr.  Compton  has  invariably 
erred  when  he  has  gone  farther  than  the  Lord 
had  clearly  led  him,  and  in  this  instance  he  soon 
found  that  he  w^as  behind  about  a  thousand  dol- 


i82     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

lars.  One  of  the  abhorrences  of  Mr.  Compton's 
life  is  debt,  and  when  he  saw  that  the  chapel  ex- 
tention  was  plunging  him  into  debt,  he  ordered 
the  work  to  stop  until  he  could  free  himself  from 
this  load.  Under  such  conditions,  it  does  not 
seem  possible  that  he  would  have  been  daring 
enough  to  venture  to  make  a  seventy-six  acre 
addition  to  the  farm ;  and  yet  this  is  exactly  what 
he  did  do.  One  day  he  learned  that  a  large  tract 
of  land  adjoining  Eliada's  thirty-four  acres  was 
offered  for  sale  at  a  very  great  sacrifice.  The 
land  was  offered  for  three  thousand  dollars  cash. 
The  tract  included  a  mountain  peak  which  was 
widely  known  for  its  own  beauty  as  well  as  the 
magnificent  view  afforded  from  its  summit.  A 
driveway  had  been  built  up  this  mountain  that 
had  cost  more  than  was  being  asked  for  the  whole 
farm.  As  Mr.  Compton  looked  into  the  future 
and  considered  the  growing  needs  of  his  institu- 
tions, and  knowing  that  the  land  would  afford 
the  best  of  pasturage,  would  respond  generously 
to  cultivation,  would  hardly  be  surpassed  for 
fruit  growing,  he  felt  deeply  impressed  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  let  this  exceptional  opportun- 
ity slip  into  other  hands.  One  day  God  told  him 
it  was  to  be  Eliada's.  Now  a  certain  man  was 
attempting  to  procure  the  land,  but  he  could  not 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        183 

produce  the  cash  price  and  the  owner  positively 
would  not  consider  any  other  proposition.  One 
day  the  man  seemed  to  be  about  to  raise  the  money 
and  the  owner  was  ready  to  make  over  the  deed 
to  him  if  he  appeared.  That  day  Mr.  Compton 
received  a  check  from  a  man  in  Ohio,  whom  he 
scarcely  knew,  but  who  had  overheard  him  say 
how  much  he  felt  Eliada  needed  that  property. 
The  check  was  drawn  for  three  thousand  dollars ! 
Mr.  Compton  hastened  to  the  owner ;  learned  that 
the  other  aspirant  for  the  property  had  failed  to 
get  the  money;  paid  down  the  cash  and  secured 
the  deed  to  the  tract  for  the  trustees  of  Eliada 
Orphanage  for  all  time. 

And  now  Eliada  Orphanage,  which  began  in 
an  old  cabin  in  the  woods  with  four  acres  of  land, 
owns  a  splendid  tract  of  land  containing  over  no 
acres,  including  a  mountain,  several  springs,  and 
a  stream  of  splendid  spring  water  which  is  of 
great  value  to  the  stock,  a  building  worth  ten 
thousand  dollars,  a  building  worth  three  thous- 
and dollars,  a  care-taker's  cottage  worth  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  four  mules,  one  horse,  four  cows, 
an  auto  truck,  and  has  a  good  sum  in  hands  for 
the  erection  of  a  great  brick  building  for  its  girls, 
to  cost  twelve  thousand  dollars. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Heroines  of  Faith  Cottage  and  Eliada 
Orphanage. 

In  a  decisive  battle  where  far-reaching  issues 
are  impending,  after  a  great  army  has  vanquished 
the  enemy,  and  gained  a  splendid  victory,  the 
name  of  one  man  is  heralded  the  world  around  as 
the  nation's  hero  and  savior.  Perchance  there 
may  have  been  a  few  men  who  led  a  charge,  or 
secured  a  strategic  point  and  thus  won  public  and 
historic  recognition,  but  what  of  those  unnoticed 
and  unnamed  ones  of  lesser  rank,  without  whose 
valor,  fidelity  and  skill  the  army  would  have  suf- 
fered certain  defeat?  Fame,  that  master  of  el- 
lusiveness  and  injustice,  often  passes  all  these 
heroes  by  and  puts  all  his  laurels  upon  a  single 
head. 

Mr.  Compton  placed  but  two  limitations  upon 
the  writer  of  this  book:  the  first  was,  "Brother 

184 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        185 

Patty,  tell  my  faults  as  well  as  my  virtues — if  I 
have  any  virtues/'  The  second  v^as,  ''Give  my 
workers  full  credit  for  their  part  in  the  success 
of  these  institutions,  for  they  deserve  as  much 
honor  for  their  part  as  I  do  for  mine." 

Those  of  us  who  have  been  acquainted  with 
the  progress  of  Faith  Cottage  and  Eliada  Orphan- 
age from  the  beginning  know  that,  next  to  his 
indebtedness  to   Almighty   God,    Mr.    Compton 
owes  most  to  the  one  dozen  women  who,  without 
a  penny  of  financial  remuneration,  without  even 
the  promise  of  necessary  clothing,  have  volun- 
teered to  identify  themselves  with  these  institu- 
tions and  have  given  the  best  of  their  intellects, 
physical  strength,   and   hearts   to   the   work.    I 
wish  I  had  all  of  the  facts,  and  the  time,  and  the 
space,  so  I  could  disclose  to  the  readers  of  this 
book  the  heroic  part  these  have  played  when  no 
one  but  they  and  God  knew.    It  is  quite  impossi- 
ble to  procure  these  facts,  for  so  humble  and  re- 
ticent are  these  women,  that  they  will  not  talk  of 
those  things  that  directly  or  indirectly  reflect  their 
own  praise.     I  had  not  the  easiest  task  procuring 
from  them  a  little  information  that  I  wished  to 
use  in  preparing  this  chapter.     Some  requested 
me  not  to  mention  them  in  any  way,  as  they  pre- 
ferred to  labor  on  unostentatiously  and  unherald- 


i86     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  CompTon 

ed  before  the  world.  I  may  say  that  in  these 
requests  I  have  not  seen  fit  to  fully  acquiesce. 

The  first  matron  of  the  Rescue  Home  was 
Miss  Ella  Fout,  of  Jackson,  Ohio.  She  came  to 
the  work  soon  after  it  was  started  and  remained 
through  the  first  two  years.  Those  were  times 
of  desperate  trial,  when  the  youthful  institution 
often  tottered  on  the  brink  of  disaster.  Miss  Fout 
stood  like  a  rock  throughout  those  times,  and  by 
her  ability  to  make  a  dollar  go  a  little  farther 
than  most  folks  can  do,  and  her  power  in  prayer, 
and  her  devout  life,  she  built  her  influence  se- 
curely into  the  foundations  of  the  institutions. 

Miss  Caroline  Olson,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  came 
to  the  rescue  work  during  Miss  Fout's  matron- 
ship,  as  a  missionary  and  rescue  worker.  She 
had  had  much  previous  experience  in  the  slums 
of  Chicago  and  Cincinnati.  Here  in  Asheville 
she  spent  much  of  her  time,  by  night  and  by  day, 
in  the  red-light  area,  persuading  fallen  girls  to  re- 
turn to  the  paths  of  virtue.  At  this  work  she 
was  highly  successful.  She  was  also  a  gifted 
preacher  and  gave  invaluable  service  in  conduct- 
ing street  meetings  and  along  other  evangelistic 
lines.  When  Miss  Fout  resigned  the  matronship, 
Miss  Olson  was  elected  to  the  position.  It  was 
with  much  trepidation  that  Miss  Olson  assumed 


Th^  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        187 

the  heavy  responsibiHties  of  the  matronship,  for 
she  was  remarkably  young  for  that  position ;  but 
her  fears  proved  foundationless,  for  the  Home 
never  prospered  more  than  when  under  her  man- 
agement.    The  fallen   girls   respected  her   and 
seemed  to  take  delight  in  making  her  duties  as 
light  as  possible.     Miss  Olson  was  a  splendid 
manager,  a  good  disciplinarian,  a  strong  spiritual 
force,  and  a  universally  beloved  worker  during 
all  of  her  association  with  the  work.    Upon  leav- 
ing Asheville,  she  entered  the  evangelistic  work 
and  for  several  years  traveled  extensively,  con- 
ducting revival  meetings  and  winning  hundreds 
to  the  Master.     She  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Rev.  Harry  C.  Smith,  a  young  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  and  continues 
in  the  Gospel  work  by  her  husband's  side. 

Mrs.  Anna  Witworth,  of  Chicago,  Illinois, 
was  now  procured  as  matron.  This  was  a  most 
happy  achievement  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Compton, 
for  Mrs.  Witworth  had  had  extensive  experience 
in  this  work,  in  some  of  the  largest  cities  of  the 
country.  Peculiarly  difficult  problems  arose  dur- 
ing this  period.  Sometimes  even  the  outlook  for 
sufficient  food  was  exceedingly  dark.  Nothing 
short  of  the  fullest  consecration  to  God  could  have 
enabled  any  one  to  bear  the  privations  and  to 


i88     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

wrestle  with  the  problems  of  those  days.  Mrs. 
Witworth,  under  God,  was  equal  to  every  exi- 
gency, and  like  a  true  heroine  of  the  Cross,  she 
marched  through  the  most  impregnable  battle 
lines  to  victory. 

Miss  Rose  Fairlee  came  to  the  work  in  the 
early  days,  from  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  She 
was  a  preacher,  a  missionary  worker  of  excep- 
tional worth,  and  a  Bible  student  who  knew  the 
Word  from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  The  debt  of 
gratitude  that  Faith  Cottage  and  Asheville  owe 
to  Miss  Fairlee  is  very  great.  She  served  the 
cause  in  so  many  useful  ways  that,  to  call  atten- 
tion to  all  of  them,  would  be  to  designate  every 
phase  of  the  work.  In  addition  to  indefatigable 
missionary  work,  she  served  as  Mr.  Compton's 
secretary  for  a  long  time.  Her  educational  ad- 
vantages gave  her  special  efficiency  in  this  posi- 
tion, which  was  constantly  becoming  more  and 
more  exacting.  I  think  if  Mr.  Compton  were 
asked  to  state  the  service  of  Miss  Fairlee  that  he 
appreciated  most  of  all,  he  would  designate  it  as 
the  purely  spiritual  influence — her  devout  life, 
her  power  in  prayer,  her  faith,  her  inspiration. 
Miss  Fairlee  was  intimately  associated  with  Faith 
Cottage  for  several  years. 
Miss  Margaret  Weaver,  of  Burnside,  Pennsyl- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        189 

vania,  came  to  the  work  in  January  of  1908,  and 
is  still  a  loyal  and  royal  worker.    She  served  for 
a  period  as  matron,  but  has  concentrated  most  of 
her  time  upon  the  missionary  activities.     For 
five  years  she  has  radiated  sunshine  all  around 
Asheville,  from  the  lowest  dens  of  infamy  to  the 
higher  circles  of  society.    She  has  proven  her- 
self one  of  those  rare  "treasures  in  earthen  ves- 
sels" without  whose  riches  of  grace  and  service 
of  love,  this  old  world  would  be  poorer  and  mean- 
er by  far  than  it  is.     Whatever  proportions  Faith 
Cottage  may  acquire  in  the  coming  years,  it  will 
never  outgrow  the  salutary  influence  of  this  con- 
secrated life. 

Miss  Janet  MacGregor,  of  Prince  Edward 
Island,  Canada,  succeeded  Miss  Weaver  as  ma- 
tron, and  has  now  served  as  such  for  five  years. 
Probably  no  woman  ever  served  in  this  capacity 
who  in  every  way  was  more  splendidly  fitted  for 
the  position.  Not  only  must  a  matron  in  charge 
of  profligate  girls  possess  the  indwelling  presence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  an  exceptional  degree,  but 
she  must  have  beside  gifts  of  management,  of 
discipline,  and  of  winsome  personality.  These 
gifts  Miss  MacGregor  brought  to  Faith  Cottage 
in  an  outstanding  degree.  Her  heart  is  bound 
up  in  this  work  like  the  hills  of  her  native  land  in 


190    Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

winter  are  bound  in  ice  and  snow.  She  keeps 
Faith  Cottage  homelike,  and  at  the  same  time  is 
firm  in  her  insistence  that  every  one  know  her 
place  and  discharge  faithfully  her  duty.  So  es- 
sential has  she  become  to  the  progress  of  Faith 
Cottage  and  so  strongly  has  she  woven  her  life 
into  all  of  its  interests,  that  Mr.  Compton  looks 
upon  her  as  quite  indispensable  to  the  work,  and 
he  expresses  the  hope  that  God  will  keep  her  at 
the  head  of  the  Home  as  long  as  she  lives. 

Miss  Hattie  Byers,  of  Mahaffey,  Pennsylvan- 
ia, began  her  work  in  connection  with  these  insti- 
tutions as  teacher  of  the  children  at  Eliada  Or- 
phanage. For  this  work  she  was  eminently  qual- 
ified through  practical  experience  as  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  of  her  native  state.  Miss 
Byers  is  the  only  worker  Mr.  Compton  has  had 
whose  range  of  sympathy  and  service  is  as  gen- 
eral as  his  own.  The  other  workers  have  all 
specialized  either  upon  the  Rescue  work  or  the 
Orphanage  work,  while  Miss  Byers  has  given 
her  intellect,  her  heart  and  her  strength,  to  both 
institutions;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  has  carried 
the  responsibilities  of  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  incorporated  institutions  and  is  the  business 
manager  of  The  New  Testament  Christian.  Her 
value  to  the  work  and  to  Mr.  Compton  personally 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        191 

is  incalculable.  Although  Mr.  Compton  is  a 
highly  self-educated  man  and  highly  endowed 
by  Heaven,  he  lacks  the  training  in  grammatical 
and  rhetoricial  usages  that  would  enable  him  to 
write  to  his  own  satisfaction  for  publication.  Now 
Miss  Byers  so  fully  complements  him  with  her 
advantages  that  he  leaves  all  of  the  finish  and 
form  of  his  literary  and  business  affairs  to  her 
judgment.  Miss  Byers  has  been  with  the  work 
for  several  years  and  is  one  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  institutions.  She  has  not  only  borne 
a  large  share  of  the  physical  and  intellectual  end 
of  the  load,  but  has  fought  through  many  a  dark 
and  dismal  hour  in  prevailing  prayer  with  her 
co-workers. 

Miss  Edith  Van  Dusen,  ''Mamma  Edith"  of 
Eliada,  has  received  mention  in  the  story  of  the 
Orphanage  which,  doubtless,  is  much  more  than 
will  meet  with  her  approval,  therefore,  I  will 
spare  her  any  further  notice  here,  although  her 
splendid  worth  makes  her  worthy  of  a  generous 
chapter. 

There  are  four  Pennsylvanians  who  have 
builded  their  lives  and  characters  into  Eliada  as 
assistants  to  Edith  Van  Dusen  and  must  be  given 
place  beside  the  other  heroines  of  the  work.  Miss 
Isaletta  Winder,  of  Pittsburg;  Miss  Jessie  Van 


192     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Dusen,  of  Knoxville,  Pa.  (not  related  to  Miss 
Edith) ;  Miss  Mary  Schlessing,  Mrs.  Hattie 
Clunn,  both  of  Philadelphia,  and  Miss  Stella 
Wood,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Compton  desires 
that  these  receive  special  mention  in  this 
story,  since  they  have  helped  to  carry  so  many 
heavy  responsibilities  and  so  faithfully.  There 
are  a  few  others  who  have  given  their  best  to  the 
work  for  brief  periods,  whose  names  are  written 
in  Heaven  and  whom  God  will  not  fail  to  reward. 
These  institutions  are  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  state  of  North  Carolina  and  are  con- 
trolled by  a  board  of  trustees.  Mr.  Compton  puts 
every  dollar  that  is  received  by  him  for  his  per- 
sonal use  into  these  institutions  above  the  huni- 
blest  and  most  economical  living-  expenses  of  him- 
self and  wife.  The  property  is  so  deeded  that 
neither  he  through  life,  nor  his  heirs  at  his  death, 
can  receive  one  penny  of  the  funds  or  one  foot 
of  the  property  for  themselves.  The  property 
is  deeded  to  homeless  children  and  unfortunate 
women  perpetually,  to  be  held  and  managed  by 
a  board  which  is  self-perpetuating.  This  bit  of 
information  will  give  the  reader  a  clear  idea  of 
the  utter  unselfishness  of  the  purpose  and  desien 
of  Mr.  Compton,  who,  if  he  were  lookinor  to  the 
interests  of  his  own  pocket,  could,  by  every  stan- 


Kattie  M.  Byers 


Mrs.  L.  B.  Compton 


BOARD  OF  MANAGERS  OF  THE  KLIADA  ORPHANAGE 
AND  FAITH  COTTAGE  RESCUE  WORK-  ^^' 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        195 

dard  of  right,  at  least  lay  by  his  personal  money, 
which  would  amount  to  no  inconsiderable  sum 
in  the  course  of  the  years.  As  in  everything  else, 
so  in  this,  Mr.  Compton  adheres  as  closely  as  he 
can  to  the  scriptural  admonition,  and  therefore 
he  lays  not  up  for  himself  "treasures  on  earth, 
where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where 
thieves  break  through  and  steal ;''  but  lays  up  for 
himself  ''treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth 
nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not 
break  through  nor  steal." 


CHAPTER   XV. 
Mr.  Compton  Himsei^f. 

The  preceding  chapters,  as  the  reader  is 
aware,  are  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  the 
work  that  God  has  accomplished  through  Mr. 
Compton.  This  chapter  is  an  attempt  at  a  pen 
picture  of  Mr.  Compton  himself.  The  writer 
finds  no  phase  of  literature  quite  so  interesting 
as  that  which  discloses  the  peculiarities,  idiosyn- 
crasies, personalities,  ambitions,  disappointments, 
habits,  tastes,  home  life,  etc.,  of  worth-while  men 
and  women.  Certainly  this  may  not  be  any  one's 
business,  but,  alas!  that  may  be  the  reason  why 
we  like  it!  Were  this  interest  not  so  generally 
shared,  one  would  hardly  be  so  frank  as  to  ac- 
knowledge his  pleasure  in  it. 

I  shall  tell  you  what  Mr.  Compton  would  pre- 
fer for  his  own  happiness,  if  he,  instead  of  God, 
were  making  the  program  of  his  life.    He  would 

196 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        197 

choose  a  few  acres  of  land — just  three  or  four — 
situated  on  one  of  western  North  Carolina's 
healthful  hilltops;  an  unpretentious  cottage,  a 
grassy  lawn,  a  few  big  trees,  a  garden,  a  cow,  a 
horse,  chickens,  and  flowers  growing  most  every- 
where. On  the  inside  of  the  cottage  he  would 
have  tasteful  but  inexpensive  furnishings,  a  good 
piano,  and  a  Victrola  (for  he  is  very  fond  of 
music),  and,  above  all,  his  beloved  wife,  and 
many  children  of  his  own — the  more  children  the 
better  suited  'he  would  be.  He  would  prefer 
steady  employment  that  would  take  him  away  in 
the  morning  and  permit  his  return  in  the  evening. 
Down  the  road  he  would  be  met  by  the  children, 
all  clamoring  for  special  attention  and  clinging 
to  his  coat-tail,  the  two  smaller  ones  in  his  arms, 
and  at  the  gate  his  wife  to  welcome  him  with  the 
baby  in  her  arms — twins  would  suit  best !  Then 
much  romping  with  the  youngsters,  a  simple, 
wholesome  meal,  music  a-plenty,  prayers  and  an 
honest  night's  repose.  Now  something  akin  to 
that  would  suit  Mr.  Compton's  natural  tastes  and 
inclinations.  The  evangelistic  pulpit,  through 
its  incessant  demands  upon  his  time,  has  robbed 
him  of  all  prospect  of  home  life,  and  some  un- 
fathomed  Providence  has  kept  the  longed  for 
little  ones  out  of  his  arms — except  one  that  God 


198     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

took  and  such  as  have  fallen  first  into  other  arms 
and  have  then  been  cast  adrift  upon  the  world. 

Could  Mr.  Compton  have  a  delightful  home  ? 
Yes,  by  following  his  own  inclinations,  like  most 
folks  do,  and  obeying  man  rather  than  God.  A 
gentleman  in  the  East,  who  is  very  wealthy  and 
who  greatly  admires  Mr.  Compton,  told  him  one 
day  if  he  would  settle  down  and  stop  running  all 
over  the  continent  in  the  interests  of  Rescue 
Homes  and  Orphanages,  he  would  make  him  a 
deed  to  a  home  he  owned  that  was  worth  many 
thousands  of  dollars.  Mr.  Compton  said  to  his 
friend,  "There  is  just  one  condition  upon  which 
I  will  accept  the  property ;  that  is,  that  you  per- 
mit me  to  sell  it  at  once  and  build  another  orphan- 
age with  the  proceeds!''  Mr.  Compton  did  not 
get  the  property,  for  he  does  not  want  anything 
that  cannot  be  converted  into  Rescue  and  Orphan- 
age material. 

Mr.  Compton's  devotion  to  the  little  woman 
who  has  been  his  companion  for  nearly  nineteen 
years  is  very  nearly  ideal.  Her  dislike  of  travel 
and  her  natural  domestic  tastes  give  her  a  strong 
preference  for  quiet  home  life,  therefore  she 
rarely  travels  with  her  husband.  Mr.  Compton 
is  never  happier  than  on  those  rare  davs  when 
he  can  "squeeze''  in  even  a  brief  visit  at  home  and 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        199 

thus  enjoy  a  few  hours  in  her  presence.  Mrs. 
Compton  has  never  weighed  over  eighty-five 
pounds,  while  Mr.  Compton  is  a  powerfully  built 
man,  weighing  nearly  180  pounds  when  at  his 
best.  When  in  their  earlier  ministry  among  the 
western  North  Carolina  mountains,  where  they 
were  often  compelled  to  walk  many  miles  through 
the  woods  and  fields,  Mr.  Compton  would  take 
his  wife  up  as  though  she  were  a  little  child,  and 
carry  her  across  "branches,"  over  fences  and 
through  wet  and  muddy  places,  in  his  arms. 

Mr.  Compton  is  a  very  affectionate  man.     He 
passionately  loves  his  friends— enemies  he  does 
not  have,  except,  perchance,  such  as  are  jealous 
of  all  men  who  accomplish  that  which  they  them- 
selves are  incapable  of  doing.    I  have  been  an  in- 
terested observer  on  occasions  when  Mr.  Comp- 
ton has  met  an  old  friend— perhaps  he  was  an 
evangelist  with  whom  Mr.  Compton  had  fought 
many  a  battle  for  the  Kingdom— to  see  him  as 
he  would  throw  his  arms  about  him  and  give  him 
a  generous  hug;  then  push  him  away,  still  hold- 
ing him  by  the  arms,  and  looking  his  delight  out 
of  his  sparkling  eyes,  he  would  say,  "God  bless 
you,  my  dear  brother,  Vm  mighty  glad  to  see  you 
again!" 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  Mr.  Compton 


200    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

that  has  weighed  heavily  in  the  scales  of  his  suc- 
cess is  the  readiness  with  which  he  recognizes  his 
own  limitations.  Many  a  man  has  beaten  his 
head  against  a  jagged  wall  because  he  thought 
of  himself  more  highly  than  the  facts  justified. 
That  is  a  serious  disease  that  spoils  many  other 
wise  most  excellent  people.  When  Mr.  Compton 
finds  himself  in  deep  water  where  he  cannot  swim, 
he  cries  for  help.  He  frankly  admits  that  he  is 
not  a  business  man,  and  that  he  is  impatient  of 
details.  He  would  rather  see  an  orphanage 
building  grow  up  in  the  night  like  Jack's  bean- 
stalk, or  Jonah's  gourd,  than  to  go  through  the 
tedious  processes  of  raising  the  building  stone  by 
stone.  Being  a  prophet  rather  than  a  captain  of 
industry,  he  sees  splendid  visions,  but  needs  help 
to  convert  them  into  actualities.  Therefore  he 
has  surrounded  himself  with  workers  and  friends 
and  boards  having  great  diversity  of  gifts — 
preachers,  lawyers,  doctors,  men  of  broad  experi- 
ence and  on  intimate  terms  with  big  responsibil- 
ities— and  before  this  Cabinet  he  lays  his  plans, 
and  adds,  subtracts  and  divides  them,  according 
as  they  throw  on  the  light.  For  example :  Mr. 
Compton  is  a  poor  writer,  and  he  has  the  good 
sense  to  know  it.  He  writes  out  what  he  thinks 
and  passes  it  on  to  competent  hands  for  revision 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       203 

and  correction,  and  if  the  reviser  tears  off  all  of 
the  tattered  garments  that  humihated  the  idea, 
and  then  clothes  it  so  respectfully  that  he  has  to 
look  twice  to  recognize  it  as  his  own  offspring, 
so  the  idea  emerges,  Mr.  Compton  is  pleased. 
There  are  lots  of  folk  too  big  in  their  own  esteem 
to  permit  the  "likes  o'  that." 

Mr.  Compton's  place  of  supreme  power  is  in 
the  pulpit.     Here,  however,  as  elsewhere,  God  is 
to  him  indispensable.    Some  preachers  get  on 
without  God.    Compton  cannot  do  it — he  never 
learned  that  ministerial  trick.     Folk  who  have 
heard  him  highly  praised  as  a  "wonderful  preach- 
er" have  traveled  far  to  hear  him.     They  went 
prepared  to  hear  a  Gabriel  blow  a  golden  trumpet, 
while  they  should  be  held  spellbound  in  heavenly 
rhapsodies!     Well,  it  may  have  happened  that 
Compton  was  a  stranger  in  those  parts ;  or  that 
he  happened  to  wander  in  the  preacher's  prover- 
bial  "brush"  that  day;  or  maybe  God  wasn't 
helping  him  to  any  considerable  extent — anyway, 
that  particular  day  Mr.  Compton's  ideas  were 
vague;  he  used  too  many  words  for  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  idea  he  was  seeking  to  convey,  the 
idea  wasn't  worth  the  words  it  took  to  precipitate 
it,  or  his  subject  was  too  far  removed  from  its 
predicate  and  folks  forgot  what  he  started  with 


204     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

that  would  give  coherency  to  what  he  finally 
reached — subjects  dangling  in  the  air  with  predi- 
cates off  the  track  and  the  coupling  pin  lost !  or 
he  would  jumble  together  his  singulars  and  plur- 
als and  adverbs  and  adjectives  until  he  would 
create,  right  before  the  eyes  of  the  congregation, 
a  grammatical  monstrosity  that  would  frighten  a 
college  professor  into  nervous  prostration.  And 
the  folk  would  say,  "Can  this  be  the  man  about 
whom  we  have  heard  such  great  things  ?" 

Now,  in  a  case  like  this,  where  Compton  is 
the  preacher,  there  is  just  one  thing  to  do — sus- 
pend judgment  for  a  day  or  two.  Give  him  time 
to  get  acquainted.  Let  him  pray  awhile.  Wait 
until  God  has  a  real  big  message  for  the  people 
and  has  chosen  Compton  to  deliver  it.  Then  your 
highest  expectations  will  be  exceeded.  The 
preacher  will  stand  before  you  a  transformed 
man.  A  coal  of  fire  will  touch  his  lips  and  you 
will  imagine  you  saw  the  glowing  ember  make 
its  descent.  His  ideas  will  be  as  clear  as  the 
sunlight.  His  sentences  will  be  as  incisive  as 
jagged  lightning.  He  will  scarcely  make  a  gram- 
matical error,  anyway  you  won't  be  thinking  of 
such  inconsequentials  as  that,  the  college  profes- 
sor will  begin  to  sit  up,  you  will  be  on  wings — 
wings  of  logic,  wings  of  revelation,  wings  of  elo- 


The  MountaixNfeer  Evangelist.        205 

quence,  wings  of  power,  wings  of  faith,  soaring 
sky-high  and  beyond,  and  if  you  don't  watch  out, 
you'll  find  yourself  walking  the  golden  streets 
clapping  your  hands  and  shouting  the  praises  of 
God!  _ 

One  day  Mr.  Compton  was  present  at  a  great 
religious  convention  in  a  great  Northern  city. 
One  of  the  ablest  preachers  that  ever  stood  on  a 
platform  in  his  day  was  the  preacher  of  the  hour. 
A  thousand  expectant  faces  were  turned  towards 
the  preacher  as  he  arose  and  read  his  text.  The 
preacher  began.  He  tried  desperately  to  arise 
to  the  occasion.  For  some  reason,  nobody  knew 
just  why,  that  able  man  utterly  failed,  and  ad- 
mitting it  to  his  audience,  took  his  seat.  The 
leader  of  the  meeting,  quick  as  a  flash,  said, 
"Compton,  you're  the  man,  preach!"  Compton 
leaped  to  his  feet,  took  his  place  on  the  platform, 
repeated  the  text  on  which  the  great  preacher  of 
the  hour  had  failed  and  preached  a  sermon  that 
will  be  remembered  by  hundreds,  the  fame  of 
which  will  be  passed  down  from  generation  to 
generation.  The  altars  were  packed  with  peni- 
tents and  Almighty  God  defeated  the  devil  and 
gloriously  exalted  Jesus  Christ  that  day. 

One  day  while  Mr.  Compton  was  preaching, 
a  little  girl  who  had  been  watching  him  intently, 


2o6    LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

and  had  not  missed  a  word  that  fell  from  his  lips, 
looked  up  into  her  mother's  face  and  said  so  that 
she  was  heard  all  over  the  room,  ''Mamma,  is 
that  Jesus?     Mamma,  is  that  Jesus?" 

Last  August  I  was  Mr.  Compton's  co-worker 
in  a  great  camp-meeting  in  northern  Ohio.  We 
occupied  the  same  cottage,  he  on  one  side  of  a 
frail  board  partition,  I  on  the  other.  Every 
word  spoken  on  either  side  could  be  heard  on  the 
other.  It  was  Mr.  Compton's  fourth  consecu- 
tive year  at  this  camp.  He  was  therefore  well 
known  by  everybody.  I  found  it  very  interest- 
ing, as  well  as  a  source  of  spiritual  blessing,  to 
hear  the  conversations  on  the  other  side.  Some 
days,  between  the  preaching  hours,  one  person 
after  another  would  enter  Mr.  Compton's  room 
and  tell  him  the  story  of  their  trials  and  triumphs 
since  the  preceding  camp,  and,  in  nearly  every 
instance,  the  visit  would  result  in  a  gift  of  from 
one  to  one  hundred  dollars  for  Faith  Cottage  or 
Eliada  Orphanage.  I  thought,  as  I  listened,  "Is 
it  any  wonder  that  the  people  love  so  well  to  give 
this  man  money  for  his  work,  and  that  they  seek 
to  tell  him  their  heart's  innermost  experiences?'' 
Had  they  all  been  Mr.  Compton's  own  little  chil- 
dren, he  could  not  have  entered  into  their  sorrows 
and  joys  more  sincerely,  and  for  every  offering  to 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       207 

his  work  he  would  so  heartily  express  his  joy  and 
so  loyally  praise  God,  and  so  earnestly  ask  for 
Heaven's  choicest  blessings  upon  the  donors,  that 
these  dear  folk  would  doubtless  be  glad  to  sacri- 
fice many  things  all  through  the  coming  year  that 
they  might  have  the  privilege  and  blessing  of 
making  a  similar  contribution  at  the  next  camp. 
I  think  that,  after  all  is  said,  one  must  con- 
clude that  Mr.  Compton's  chief  asset  as  a  Chris- 
tian man,  that  which  wins  him  the  affection  of 
so  many  people,  that  which  causes  the  people  to 
deny  themselves  that  they  may  give  towards  the 
maintenance  of  his  work,  that  which  gives  him 
such  a  grip  upon  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  people  everywhere  he  is  known,  is  the  purity, 
honesty,  sincerity  and  utter  unselfishness  of  his 
heart  and  life,  which  are  so  evident  in  all  of  the 
words  and  actions  of  his  life— all  of  which  he 
owes  to  the  grace  of  God. 

In  the  opinion  of  this  writer,  Mr.  Compton  is 
making  a  very  grave  mistake  in  letting  his  zeal 
for  God  get  ahead  of  his  discretion.  So  much 
depends  upon  his  good  health  and  strength  that 
he  should  conserve  these  with  very  great  care. 
It  may  be  that  he  thinks  he  does  so,  but  this  is  the 
way  he  does  it.  As  the  man  over  in  Kentucky 
told  his  wife,  "He  preaches  like  a  thunder  storm.' 


2o8    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

He  preaches  with  every  bone,  Hgament,  and  mus- 
cle from  the  top  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his 
feet.  He  has  been  known  to  stamp  his  foot  with 
such  force  while  trying  to  drive  home  a  point  that 
he  would  smash  a  hole  in  the  platform.  His  arms 
assume  every  conceivable  and  inconceivable  po- 
sition as  he  dashes  from  end  to  end  of  a  thirty- 
foot  platform.  He  shakes  his  head  so  vigorously 
at  times  that,  if  God  had  not  given  him  a  neck 
like  an  ox,  he  would  thereby  endanger  his  life. 
After  a  sermon  an  hour  or  more  in  length,  he 
will  plead  another  half  hour  for  sinners  to  seek 
God  at  the  altar.  Then  he  will  lead  the  prayer, 
when  many  others  are  there  willing  and  compe- 
tent to  do  so.  He  then  instructs  the  seekers,  sings 
a  solo,  joins  with  the  crowd  in  the  general  sing- 
ing, exhorts,  prays  again,  sings  some  more,  in- 
structs some  more,  and  finally  pronounces  a  bene- 
diction long  enough  for  a  Sunday  morning 
prayer.  He  reaches  his  room  soaked  through 
and  through  with  perspiration  and  sometimes 
with  his  throat  so  hoarse  that  he  can  scarcely 
speak  above  a  whisper.  But  next  day  he  is  ready 
for  the  same  round  and  he  makes  it,  too,  and  the 
camp-meeting  committees  like  this  and  encour- 
age it.  It  is  all  too  human  to  work  a  willing 
horse  to  death,  but  when  I  see  him  working  like 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       211 

this  I  wonder  what  will  become  of  those  orphans 
at  Eliada  after  he  is  gone?     And  I  wonder  if 
God  could  not  save  just  about  as  many  sinners 
without  so  much  desperately  hard  physical  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  zealous  evangehst?  I  wish  that 
the   camp-meeting  committees   and   the   church 
boards  wherever  he  goes  would  enter  into  a  holy 
conspiracy  to  make  his  work  just  as  light  as  pos- 
sible, and  to  give  him  every  advantage  and  com- 
fort while  he  is  their  guest  that  wnll  tend  to 
lengthen  out  his  years. 

I  have  sometimes  wondered  what  the  result 
would  have  been  had  Mr.  Compton  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  thorough  collegiate  education,  plus 
his  natural  genius  and  the  miraculous  work  of 
God  in  his  life.     Of  course  one  can  only  conjec- 
ture.     But  conjecturing   is   always   interesting 
and    rarely    harmful,    and,    conjecturing    upon 
the    above    hypothesis,    it    seems    likely    that 
he    would    have    made    an    impress    upon    the 
world  equal  to  that  of  men  of  international  re- 
nown in  the  work  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.    But  given  the  education,  minus 
the  miraculous  work  of  God,  and  he  would  prob- 
ably have  been  lost  in  the  numerous  company  of 
that  class  who  are  filling  only  the  common  places 


212     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

of  life,  and  w^o  are  doing  that,  all  too  often,  in- 
adequately. 

Mr.  Compton  frequently  chooses  obscure  and 
difficult  passages  of  Scripture  upon  which  to 
preach.  He  says  that  it  tends  to  dissipate  his 
own  interest  in  the  sermon  when  he  is  conscious 
that  his  congregation  knows  practically  all  that 
has  ever  been  said  upon  his  theme,  and  could 
readily  produce  an  outline  of  what  he  would  prob- 
ably say.  Sometimes  he  will  read  a  text  that  will 
set  one  to  wondering  how  he  will  produce  an 
affecting  evangelistic  message  from  it,  but  one 
who  has  heard  him  frequently,  will  cease  to  en- 
tertain any  fears  as  to  that,  for  he  will  not  fail 
to  produce  connections,  arguments,  applications, 
with  fervency,  unction  and  power,  that  always 
inspire  his  hearers  with  desires  towards  God. 
He  likes  to  preach  doctrinal  sermons  and  usually 
when  he  does  so,  he  leaves  his  hearers  with  the 
conviction  that  his  views  are  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  teaching  of  the  Bible. 

While  Mr.  Compton  is  the  son  of  a  Missionary 
Baptist  minister  and,  in  respect  to  water  baptism, 
is  an  immersionist,  on  the  doctrine  of  holiness  he 
IS  distinctly  Wesleyan  or  Methodistic.  The  Wes- 
leyan  view  briefly  stated  is  this :  In  regeneration 
the  sinner  is  pardoned  of  all  his  transgressions 


The:  Mountaine:e:r  Evangelist.       213 

and  becomes  a  child  of  God.  But  there  still  re- 
mains in  his  heart  the  ''old  man  of  sin,"  produc- 
ing tempers  and  tendencies  subversive  of  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  soul.  From  this  destruc- 
tive power  the  "blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son, 
will  cleanse"  resulting  in  that  state  of  which 
Christ  spoke  when  He  said,  "Blessed  are  the  pure 
in  heart:  for  they  shall  see  God."  This  cleans- 
ing, or  holiness,  or  sanctification,  or  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  is  never  simultaneous  with  the 
birth  of  the  Spirit,  or  pardon,  or  conversion,  or 
regeneration,  but  is  always  a  subsequent  experi- 
ence and  comes  to  those  only  who  meet  the  de- 
finite and  specific  conditions  of  full  consecration 
and  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Mr.  Comp- 
ton  has  no  endorsement  for  any  of  the  extrava- 
gant and  fanatical  positions  taken  by  some  who 
emphasize  this  doctrine.  His  position  is  sane 
and  sound,  commending  itself  to  all  earnest  Chris- 
tians who  "hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness" and  who  desire  to  "walk  in  the  light  as  he 
is  in  the  light."  The  following  quotations  from 
the  works  of  Wesley  are  adduced  to  show  that 
the  great  founder  of  Methodism  is  correctly  rep- 
resented : 

"In  1729  my  brother  Charles  and  I,  reading 
the  Bible,  saw  we  could  not  be  saved  without  hol- 


\ 


214     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

iness,  followed  after  it  and  incited  others  so  to  do. 
In  1737  we  saw  that  this  holiness  comes  by  faith. 
In  1738  we  saw  likewise  that  men  are  justified 
before  they  are  sanctified.'' 

"You  have  over  and  over  denied  instantane- 
ous sanctification,  but  I  have  known  and  taught 
it  above  these  twenty  years.  I  have  continually 
testified  for  these  five  and  twenty  years,  in  private 
and  in  public,  that  we  are  sanctified  as  well  as 
justified,  by  faith." 

"Within  five  weeks  five  within  our  band  re- 
ceived the  'second  blessing'." 

"Many  years  since,  I  saw  without  holiness  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord.  I  began  by  following 
after  it  and  inciting  all  with  whom  I  had  any  in- 
tercourse to  do  the  same.  Ten  years  after,  God 
gave  me  a  clearer  view  than  I  had  before  how  to 
attain  it — namely,  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God. 
And  immediately  I  declared  to  all.  We  are  saved 
from  sin,  we  are  made  holy,  by  faith.  This  I 
testified  in  private,  in  public,  in  print,  and  God 
confirmed  it  by  a  thousand  witnesses." 

The  following  passages  of  Scripture  are  a  few 
of  the  many  that  form  the  foundation  of  this 
faith ! 

"Be  ye  holy."     i  Peter  i:  15. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist..      215 

'^Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth,  thy  word 
is  truth/'     John  17:  i7- 

*'The  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly/* 
I  Thessalonians  5 :  23. 

''Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  he  might  sanctify 
the  people  with  his  own  blood,  suffered  without 
the  gate/'     Hebrews  13:12. 

"He  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and 
without  blame  before  him  in  love."     Ephesians 

1:4. 

"By  one  offering  he  hath  perfected  forever 

them  that  are  sanctified,  whereof  the  Holy  Ghost 
also  is  a  witness  to  us/'     Hebrews  10:  14,  15. 

"The  oath  which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abra- 
ham, that  he  would  grant  unto  us,  that  we  being 
delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies  might 
serve  him  without  fear,  in  holiness  and  righteous- 
ness before  him,  all  the  days  of  our  life."    Luke 

I  •  73-75. 

"And  put  no  difference  between  us  and  them, 

purifying  their  hearts  by  faith/'    Acts  15:9. 

"Both  he  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are 

sanctified  are  all  of  one,  for  which  cause  he  is  not 

ashamed  to  call  them  brethren."    Hebrews  2:11. 

"This  IS  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctifica- 

tion/'    I  Thessalonians  4:  3. 


2i6    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

"God  hath  not  called  us  unto  uncleanness, 
but  unto  holiness."     i  Thessalonians  4 :  7. 

"Faithful  is  he  that  calleth  you,  who  also  will 
do  it/'     I  Thessalonians  5  :  24. 

"Follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord/'  He- 
brews 12:  14. 

Mr.  Compton  is  an  ardent  exponent  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  "Second  Coming  of  Christ."  He 
holds  to  what  is  known  as  the  pre-millennial  view, 
Which  maintains  that  the  world  is  not  to  be 
brought  to  Christ  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  Church.  The  Church  is  the  salt  that  saves 
the  world  from  utter  destruction.  The  great 
mass  and  power  of  wickedness  is  never  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  the  Church,  but  "the  Lord  shall  con- 
sume with  the  spirit  of  his  mouth,  and  shall  de- 
stroy with  the  brightness  of  his  coming."  The 
last  days  shall  be  as  the  "days  of  Noah"  and 
"perilous  times  shall  come,  when  men  shall  be 
lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God ;  hav- 
ing the  form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power 
thereof."  Suddenly,  some  day,  nobody  knows 
just  when,  "the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from 
heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the 
archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  then  we  which  are 


Thr  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       217 

alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  m  the  air: 
and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  i  Thes- 
salonians  4:  16,  17.  _    _ 

Mr    Compton  believes  that  it  is  one  of  the 
blessed  privileges  of  the  Christian,  when  sick,  to 
offer  the  prayer  of  faith  and  be  healed  m  body  by 
the  same  God  and  the  same  Power  that  saved  the 
soul;  or,  in  the  words  of  Saint  James,  he  believes 
that  "the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick.     He 
believes  that  those  who  have  not  faith  for  heal- 
ine  should  procure  medical  attention  and  earn- 
estly pray  God  to  provide  and  bless  the  means 
essential  to  recovery.     He  has  no  fellowship  with 
or  endorsement  of  any  healing  cult  anywhere 
that  goes  farther  than  the  simple  scriptural  pnv- 
ileg-e  as  outlined  above. 

Mr  Compton  insists  upon  a  thorough  work 
of  grace  for  the  sinner.  He  is  highly  suspicious 
of  the  card-signing  method  of  professing  conver- 
sion He  likes  to  see  the  guilty  sinner  showing 
genuine  evidences  of  conviction  and  sorrow  for 
sin,  and  bringing  forth  "fruits  meet  for  repent- 
ance," resulting  in  a  transformmg  conversion 
that  takes  the  love  of  the  world  out  of  the  man 
and  fills  the  vacuum  with  the  fruits  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 


Explanatory  Statement  Introductory 

TO  THE  Story  of  Mr.  Compton's 

Journey  to  Palestine. 

Somewhere  in  a  preceding  chapter  I  said  that 
Mr.  Compton  was  on  such  intimate  terms  with 
the  improbable  that  it  was  impossible  to  astonish 
him.  When  a  poor,  crippled,  tongue-tied  boy, 
living  in  a  mountain  cabin  and  eating  corn-pone 
three  times  daily,  the  ambition  of  his  heart  was  to 
live  to  the  time  when  he  would  be  rich  (?)  enough 
to  occupy  a  painted  house  and  eat  wheat  bread 
every  day.  Before  he  was  thirty-eight  years  of 
age  God  had  healed  his  crippled  limb,  cured  him 
of  his  annoying  defect  in  speech — instantaneous- 
ly, sent  him  all  over  America  to  preach  side  by 
side  with  the  ablest  preachers,  given  him  over 
forty  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  and  main- 
tenance of  a  Rescue  Home  and  Orphanage,  and 
one  of  the  finest  Palestinian  and  European  trips 
any  man  could  reasonably  desire. 

218 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       219 

Mr.  Compton  is  a  great  lover  of  the  Bible.    It 
has  been  his  custom  for  years  to  spend  hours  in 
its  study.     Such  study  has  given  him  intimate 
familiarity  with  all  the  biblical  events  and  places. 
For  years  he  had  treasured  in  his  heart  a  longing 
to  see  these  Bible  lands,  yet  he  had  not  permitted 
himself  to  indulge  the  hope  of  ever  having  such 
a  privilege.    One  day,  while  in  conversation  with 
his  friend  Mr.  J.  H.  Hoffman,  of  Philadelphia, 
some  casual  remarks  were  passed  between  them 
regarding  the  desirability  of  a  Palestinian  jour- 
ney.   Not  long  after  this  conversation,  while  Mr. 
Compton  was  engaged  in  an  evangelistic  meeting 
at  Huntington,  West  Virginia,  he  received  a  tele- 
gram from  Mr.  Hoffman  stating  that  if  he  could 
take  the  trip  to  Palestine,  to  join  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman  on  a  certain  day  and  accompany  them 
at  their  expense.     After  making  reasonably  sure 
that  the  work  at  Asheville  could  spare  him  for 
three  or  four  months,  he  joined  the  party  and  they 
started  upon  that  memorable  journey. 

During  his  travels  Mr.  Compton  made  copious 
notes  and  wrote  many  letters,  some  of  which 
were  published  in  his  paper  The  New  Testament 
Christian.  At  first  I  thought  I  would  write  the 
story  of  his  trip  in  my  own  words  and  form,  mak- 
ing use  of  the  notes  and  letters  with  which  I  am 


220    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

provided,  but  upon  further  reflection  I  have  con- 
cluded not  to  pursue  that  plan,  which  would  nec- 
essarily destroy  Mr.  Compton's  personality  in 
the  narrative,  which  to  me,  and  I  doubt  not  also 
to  all  of  his  friends,  gives  the  story  one  of  its 
chief  elements  of  interest.  Therefore  I  have 
simply  taken  the  liberty  of  editing  Mr.  Comp- 
ton's  own  presentation,  allowing  only  such 
omissions  and  corrections  as  a  fair  degree  of 
grammatical  accuracy  required. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Journey  to  Palestink.     Leaving  New  York. 

The  Steamship  "Laconia/*  Storm  at  Sea. 

Landing  at  Madeira.     The 

Mediterranean  Sea. 

Our  party  reached  New  York  City  from  Phil- 
adelphia at  9:  30  A.  M.,  February  3,  1912,  where 
we  boarded  the  steamship  Laconia,  of  the  Cun- 
ard  line.  After  placing  our  baggage  in  our  state- 
rooms, we  started  out  to  view  this  mammoth  ves- 
sel, which  we  found  to  be  furnished  in  the  most 
elegant  style,  with  every  comfort  and  luxury  any 
man  could  desire.  Soon  the  order  came  for 
everybody  except  passengers  to  "get  ashore"  and 
our  hearts  were  deeply  touched  as  loved  ones 
clasped  each  other  to  their  breasts  for  the  last 
time.  Shouts  were  heard  from  every  side — some 
in  mirthful  spirit  and  others  heavy  with  tears. 

We  began  at  once  to  busy  ourselves  with  writ- 
221 


222     Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

ing;  cards  and  letters  to  the  folks  at  home,  to  be 
taken  off  an  hour  later  as  we  steamed  out  of  New 
York  harbor.  I  felt  perfectly  contented  aboard 
the  vessel,  for  I  knew  that  God  had  made  the  trip 
possible,  and  I  was  entering  upon  the  realization 
of  one  of  my  life's  greatest  desires. 

When  we  went  into  the  dining-room  for  lunch, 
we  were  greeted  with  the  fragrance  of  unnum- 
bered flowers,  scattered  all  over  the  room  and 
everything  else  that  would  attract  a  mountain 
boy  who  had  never  dreamed  that  God  had  made 
such  elaborate  provision  for  the  satisfaction  of 
his  love  of  the  beautiful.  After  lunch  I  opened 
a  large  envelope  containing  letters  prepared  for 
me  by  the  children  and  workers  at  Eliada  Or- 
phanage. I  had  received  instructions  not  to  open 
these  letters  more  frequently  than  one  a  day,  but 
the  temptation  was  too  strong,  I  yielded  and  read 
all  of  them  at  once.  I  had  not  realized  as  I  did 
while  reading  those  letters  how  much  I  loved  the 
children  and  appreciated  my  workers  at  Eliada. 
I  enjoyed  a  very  good  night's  rest  in  my  palatial 
room  Saturday  night  and  awakened  to  find  the 
Sabbath  morning  calm  and  beautiful.  At  ten 
o'clock  many  of  the  passengers  gathered  in  the 
parlor  of  the  ship  for  worship.  The  captain,  as- 
sisted by  the  ship's  physician,  conducted  the  ser- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        223 

vice.  While  the  service  was  very  formal,  still  it 
was  very  blessed  and  I  felt  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  was  with  us.  I  have  been  much  in  prayer 
for  the  home  folks  to-day. 

About  noon  the  ocean  began  to  get  very 
rough.  When  the  bugle  call  for  supper  was 
made  and  I  entered  the  dining-room  the  flowers 
had  disappeared  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  the 
diners.  While  at  the  table  the  storm  became 
fierce ;  the  ship  dashed  to  one  side  and  dishes  and 
food  came  tumbling  into  my  lap.  I  quickly  re- 
Heved  myself  of  this  unwelcome  load  and  hurried 
out  on  deck  to  find  the  sky  full  of  fierce  clouds, 
the  wind  in  a  fury  and  the  Laconia  being  tossed 
about  like  a  chip  on  a  pond.  The  great  vessel 
seemed  no  more  of  a  burden  to  the  ocean  than 
though  she  had  been  a  feather. 

I  left  the  deck  at  about  ten  o'clock,  for  I  felt 
a  little  inward  disturbance  and  feared  I  was  to 
become  seasick.  It  had  been  so  long  since  my 
mother  rocked  me  to  sleep  in  the  old  wooden 
cradle  back  on  the  mountain-side  in  North  Car- 
olina that  I  had  forgotten  how  to  sleep  under  the 
motion,  and  so  my  first  Sunday  night  at  sea  was 
a  sleepless  one.  The  storm  reached  its  climax 
at  about  two  o'clock  A.  M.  and  I  could  hear  calls 
on  all  sides  for  help.     I  had  no  personal  fear,  but 


224    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

was  lead  to  pray  for  the  passengers  and  crew 
and  especially  for  the  steerage  passengers  shut 
up  like  rats  away  down  in  the  ship's  hold.  My 
heart  went  out  for  those  upon  that  fearful  sea  in 
less  mighty  and  comfortable  ships  than  ours.  A 
poem  one  of  the  workers  at  EHada  gave  me  be- 
fore starting  voiced  the  prayer  of  my  heart : 

'*  Eternal  Father,  strong  to  save, 
Whose  arm  hath  bound  the  restless  wave, 
Who  bid'st  the  mighty  ocean  deep 
Its  own  appointed  limits  keep; 

Oh,  hear  us  when  we  cry  to  Thee 
For  those  in  peril  on  the  sea. 

*'0  Christ,  whose  voice  the  waters  heard 
And  hushed  their  raging  at  Thy  word, 
Who  walkedst  on  the  foaming  deep, 
And  calm  amid  the  storm  didst  sleep; 

Oh,  hear  us  when  we  cry  to  Thee 

For  those  in  peril  on  the  sea. 

**Most  Holy  Spirit,  who  didst  brood 
Upon  the  chaos  dark  and  rude, 
Aid  bid  its  angry  tumult  cease. 
And  give,  for  wild  confusion,  peace; 

Oh,  hear  us  when  we  cry  to  Thee 

For  those  in  peril  on  the  sea. 

**0  Trinity  of  love  and  power. 

Our  brethren  shield  in  danger's  hour; 
From  rock  and  tempest,  fire  and  foe, 
Protect  them  wheresoe'er  they  go; 
Thus  evermore  shall  rise  to  Thee 
Glad  hjnnns  of  praise  from  land  and  sea.'* 


< 

w 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        227 

I  propped  myself  as  well  as  I  could  with  my 
pillows  and  tried  to  fall  asleep,  but  the  dashing 
ship  and  whistling  winds  refused  to  let  me.     At 
last    morning  came    with   the    storm   unabated.  • 
Only  a  few  appeared  for  breakfast ;  my  own  ap- 
petite was  not  good.    Now  and  then  a  heavy 
wave  would  strike  the  ship  and  away  the  dishes 
would  plunge  to  the  floor,  many  of  them  smashed 
to  bits.     I  began  to  wonder  if  this  kept  up  what 
we  would  have  left  to  eat  from.    Again  I  went 
on  deck  and  such  a  sight  my  eyes  had  never  be- 
held.    I  had  seen  the  mad  rapids  of  Niagara,  but 
they  were  as  children  playing  with  flutter-mills 
in  a  creek  compared  with  the  immensity  of  this 
wild  ocean.     Just  as  far  as  one  could  see  were 
mountains  of  angry  billows  and  yet  our  grand 
old  ship  was  plowing  through  them  ahead  of 
schedule  time.    I  could  imagine  myself  at  home 
among  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  with  all  of  them 
moving  at  storm  speed;  one  moment  I  was  in  a 
valley  looking  up  at  their  lofty  peaks  and  the  next 
on  their  summit  gazing  down  into  the  valley. 
One  time  I  rushed  out  on  deck  to  get  a  picture  of 
these  mountains  of  water.     The  gale  was  so  fierce 
just  then  that  I  was  almost  overthrown,  but  I  got 
the  snapshot,  by  paying  a  good  price  for  it,  for 


22S    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

the  wind  blew  my  nose  glasses  into  the  deep  blue 
sea. 

One  of  the  things  of  great  interest  to  me  was 
the  appearance  of  newspapers  on  deck  this 
morning  containing  all  of  the  latest  news  of  the 
world.  What  a  wonder  is  wireless  telegraphy! 
This  has  been  the  greatest  day  in  all  my  life's  his- 
tory. I  have  eaten  three  meals  without  any  symp- 
toms of  seasickness — now  there  are  not  many 
left  in  my  class.  I  am  enjoying  everything,  even 
the  storm.  God  is  keeping  me  well  and  I  am 
happy. 

Tuesday  morning.  The  storm  continues. 
The  night  was  rough,  but  nevertheless  I  slept  well 
and  awakened  greatly  refreshed.  Lots  of  folks 
sick.  I  am  enjoying  everything  without  a  trace 
of  seasickness  as  yet.  The  captain  and  crew  are 
preparing  for  an  awful  night,  a  regular  "nor- 
wester.'' 

Wednesday.  The  ship  was  driven  about  last 
night  the  worst  of  any  time  yet.  This  has  been 
the  worst  day  of  all  except  Monday.  I  am  re- 
minded of  Saint  Paul's  experience  in  the  storm, 
but  he  was  in  it  fourteen  days,  we  but  four.  How 
they  ever  made  it  in  those  frail  ships  is  a  mystery 
to  me.  This  ship  is  a  sea  monster  and  yet  the 
billows  play  with  it.     Praise  God  for  a  knowl- 


The  Mountaine:er  Evangelist.        229 

edge  of  Him  who  holds  the  winds  in  His  fists! 

Thursday.  Still  rough.  High  winds  and 
rains.  Some  sunshine,  not  much.  Not  cold.  I 
failed  to  sleep  much  last  night.  Mother  Sea 
rocked  me  too  hard  and  I  fail  to  get  used  to  it. 

Friday.  Still  rough.  Considerable  sickness 
among  the  passengers.  I  am  keeping  well.  I 
am  eating  too  much,  not  being  used  to  such  high 
living.  Afternoon,  the  sun  comes  forth  and  the 
storm  subsides.  We  passed  two  ships,  one  of 
these  was  badly  storm  beaten.  Most  of  the  pas- 
sengers are  out  on  deck  taking  a  sun  bath.  To- 
night there  is  to  be  a  concert  and  swell  dance. 
Night  has  come  and  the  dance  is  on.  Such  a 
sight  my  eyes  are  unaccustomed  to.  Women 
half  nude  at  supper  tables.  I  thought  I  had  seen 
some  disgraceful  dressing  in  the  States  as  I  trav- 
eled about,  but  all  I  ever  saw  is  Modesty  herself 
compared  with  this  disgraceful  set  of  degener- 
ates. Modesty  is  a  stranger  here.  They  danced 
until  midnight  then  they  went  to  the  smoker  and 
to  my  astonishment,  I  saw  several  young  ladies 
smoking  cigarettes — I  will  take  that  back,  not 
ladies,  but  degenerated  females ;  many  were  quite 
boozy  when  they  went  to  their  rooms.  Now  I 
saw  all  this  with  my  own  eyes.  I  was  glad  I 
had  been  born  poor  and  had  to  work  for  my  liv- 


230     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

ing.  Had  I  been  born  in  this  million-dollar 
sphere,  in  which  I  am  taking  this  trip  across  the 
Atlantic,  I  fear  the  devil  would  have  gotten  me 
forever. 

This  is  Saturday  and  we  are  in  sight  of  Ma- 
deira. The  storm  drove  us  here  two  days  ahead 
of  schedule  time.  \^'hat  a  beautiful  harbor! 
Madeira  is  a  small  island  out  in  mid-ocean,  gov- 
erned by  Portugal.  My!  it  feels  good  to  get  my 
feet  on  land  again. 

Before  the  Laconia  had  cast  anchor  here,  we 
observed  several  small  boats  coming  from  shore 
making  towards  us.  When  they  got  closer,  we 
saw  that  each  boat  contained  a  professional  diver. 
Passengers  would  cast  pieces  of  money  into  the 
sea  and  those  boys  and  men  would  dive  after 
them  and  without  fail  would  bring  the  coin  up 
between  their  toes.  The  water  was  two  hundred 
feet  deep  where  these  human  fish  were  diving. 
One  of  them  climbed  up  on  the  deck  of  the  ship 
and  dived  off  into  the  sea  nearly  one  hundred 
feet  below  after  a  silver  dollar.  This  fellow  had 
but  one  arm,  but  he  got  the  money.  These  fel- 
lows are  as  much  at  home  in  the  sea  as  I  am  on 
land.  It  is  a  wonder,  the  things  of  interest  one 
sees  on  a  trip  like  this.  My  vocabulary  keeps 
failing  me  as  I  try  to  write  down  my  impressions. 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        231 

I  have  bought  several  post-cards  of  Madeira,  but 
am  tempted  to  cast  them  overboard,  for  they  are 
nothing  more  than  a  burlesque  on  that  indescrib- 
able garden  of  beauty. 

The  first  view  of  Madeira  which  we  got  at  a 
great  distance  gave  the  impression  that  it  was  a 
barren,  mountainous  place,  with  few  inhabitants. 
As  we  drew  nearer  we  could  see,  with  the  aid  of 
glasses,  little  huts  dotted  all  over  the  mountain- 
sides. Then  we  came  in  sight  of  villages  thickly 
populated,  and  as  we  came  nearer  we  saw  that 
what  had  appeared  to  be  a  barren  and  desolate 
waste  was  a  most  attractive,  thickly  inhabited 
country.  As  our  vessel  drew  nearer  and  nearer, 
we  were  more  and  more  enraptured  with  the  is- 
land's picturesque  scenes  and  charming  beaut\\ 
The  fleecy  white  clouds  hung  caressingly  around 
the  towering  mountain  peaks  and  from  those 
heights  water  ran  in  swift  rivulets — silver  threads 
in  a  carpet  of  green. 

We  reached  the  city  of  Funchal,  where  our 
ship  cast  anchor.  This  was  at  4:  15  P.  M. 
Many  passengers  went  ashore  at  once,  but  our 
party  remained  aboard  ship  for  the  night.  We 
were  repaid  for  remaining  on  the  ship  by  seeing 
Funchal  from  a  distance  of  two  miles  out  in  the 
sea  while  she  was  glittering  with  artificial  light. 


232     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

The  next  morning  we  were  taken  ashore  in  small 
boats.  Upon  landing,  it  was  evident  to  us  at 
once  that  we  were  among  a  foreign  race.  I  had 
an  idea  that  the  people  of  this  nation  were  a  dirty, 
lazy,  worthless  class,  but  I  was  to  see  differently. 
I  found  them  as  a  whole  neat  and  cleanly.  Even 
the  children  of  the  streets  were,  as  a  rule,  neat  and 
asttractive — certainly  far  above  the  average  of 
American  children  who  live  in  the  streets.  But 
all  are  professional  beggars — men,  women  and 
children.  And  such  persistency  I  never  saw; 
they  don't  understand  the  word  "No ;"  that  word 
must  not  be  in  their  dictionary.  They  followed 
us  everywhere  we  went  with  their  hands  extend- 
ed, urging  us  to  give  them  money. 

We  went  to  the  Methodist  Mission  Church, 
where  we  met  Pastor  Smart  and  his  wife.  They 
have  labored  here  for  thirty  years.  Brother 
Smart  preached  partly  in  Portuguese  and  partly 
in  English.  Religiously  the  island  is  almost  en- 
tirely in  the  hands  of  Rome.  Protestantism  has 
but  little  opportunity  here.  Here  are  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  people  with  but  three 
Protestant  churches  and  all  the  rest  Roman 
Catholic.  We  visited  the  Catholic  Cathedral, 
which  was  founded  in  1632.  Here  the  people 
were    adoring    the    images    and    confessing  to 


The  Mountaineer  Evangki^ist.        2;^^ 

priests.    This  old  building  is  admired  for  its  ex- 
cellent carvings  and  its  antiquity. 

We  procured  a  carro,  which  is  a  sled  drawn 
by  oxen.  These  oxen  beat  the  American  breed 
for  speed,  for  they  step  along  in  a  lively  manner. 
We  rode  about  the  city  in  one  of  these  carros  for 
an  hour.  A  small  boy  runs  ahead  of  the  oxen 
and  guides  them  with  strings  attached  to  the  tips 
of  their  horns,  while  a  man  follows  in  the  rear 
with  a  long  cane  with  which  he  keeps  the  animals 
prodded  up.  When  the  carro  encounters  a  rough 
place  in  the  street,  they  place  a  greased  rag  under 
the  runners,  which  causes  them  to  slip  over  the 
spot  readily.  All  of  the  streets  here  are  splendid- 
ly paved  with  small  stones  and  the  work  is  the 
most  attractive  I  ever  saw.  The  streets  are  very 
narrow  and  most  of  the  folks  walk  in  them,  for 
sidewalks  are  few.  Another  feature  that  im- 
pressed me  was  the  care  with  which  every  prop- 
erty owner  keeps  his  house  brightly  painted ;  not 
only  the  sides  but  the  roofs  as  well.  Another 
interesting  observation  here  was  the  way  they 
utilize  every  foot  of  ground,  either  in  making 
lovely  flower  gardens  or  in  raising  fruits  and 
vegetables.  They  get  big  returns  from  spots 
that  Americans  would  consider  useless.  We 
crossed  a  bridge  in  the  city  which  was  over  150 


236     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

feet  high,  the  walls  of  which  were  perpendicular, 
and  yet,  from  top  to  bottom  those  walls  were  cov- 
ered with  flowers,  banana  trees  and  grape  vines. 
To  gather  the  fruit  it  would  be  necessary  to  swing 
from  the  top  of  the  bridge  by  ropes.  So  inter- 
esting did  we  find  Madeira  that  we  felt  we  could 
abide  here  for  weeks  and  not  grow  weary  of  its 
beauty. 

The  staple  crops  are  sugar-cane  and  grapes. 
We  enjoyed  eating  some  bananas  grown  on  the 
island;  they  were  small,  but  of  delicious  flavor. 
A  woman  scarcely  ever  appears  upon  the  streets 
unless  she  is  traveling,  but  their  modesty  does 
not  prevent  them  from  keeping  their  heads  out 
of  the  windows  and  doors  to  see,  if  not  to  be  seen. 
Most  of  the  Madeira  women  are  real  pretty. 
They  have  fine  hair  and  mild,  kindly  eyes  and 
are  very  neat  and  careful  about  their  apparel. 
Madeira  was  the  early  home  of  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus. Here  he  was  educated.  I  doubt  if  in 
all  the  world  one  can  find  a  finer  place  to  live  or 
die  than  on  this  beautiful  island  three  hundred 
miles  west  of  the  coast  of  Africa. 

Our  ocean  journey  was  uneventful  the  first 
day  out  of  Madeira,  but  the  next  day,  which  was 
Tuesday,  we  came  in  sight  of  land  lying  to  the 
southward.     We  were  informed  that  this  was 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        237 

the  coast  of  Africa.  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  upon 
that  dim  shore  line  until  we  drew  near  enough 
so  that,  with  the  aid  of  glasses,  we  could  plainly 
see  the  mountains  along  the  coast  and  dwelling- 
houses  dotted  along  the  slopes.  I  could  imagine 
myself  again  in  western  North  Carolina  looking 
upon  the  homes  of  neighbors  and  friends  along 
the  mountain-sides. 

I  could  not  look  upon  the  shores  of  Africa 
without  being  deeply  moved  and  lifting  my  heart 
to  God  in  prayer  for  the  many  dear  friends  I  have 
on  the  continent  who  are  spending  their  lives  en- 
deavoring to  Christianize  that  nation.  As  my 
thoughts  lingered  upon  the  stirring  religious  his- 
tory of  this  land,  I  could  not  refrain  from  weep- 
ing, and  I  felt  a  great  desire  to  visit  the  mission- 
aries whom  I  know  personally  and  bid  them  God- 
speed. But  the  desire  and  a  prayer  must  answer 
for  this  time. 

As  the  Laconia  pushed  onward,  we  came  in 
sight  of  land  on  the  north  which  was  the  shore  of 
Spain.  Just  before  noon  w^e  came  in  sight  of  a 
small  mountain  rising  up  out  of  the  sea,  which, 
we  were  informed,  w^as  the  famous  Gibraltar — 
England's  key  to  the  Mediterranean.  England 
has  held  this  fortress  since  1704  and  has  expended 
more  than  fifty  million  dollars  upon  its  defenses. 


238     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

We  went  ashore  in  mid-afternoon  to  find  our- 
selves among  the  peoples  of  many  nations.  This 
mountain  of  solid  rock  is  a  tongue  of  land  run- 
ning directly  south  from  the  Spanish  mainland, 
and  within  twenty  miles  of  the  African  shore. 
The  British  flag  is  seen  everywhere  and  British 
soldiers  constantly  parade  the  narrow  streets. 
The  whole  rock  is  a  fort  and  six  thousand  sol- 
diers are  kept  here  to  defend  it.  There  is  no 
water  here,  all  that  is  used  is  carried  from,  a  dis- 
tance back  in  the  mountains  and  sold.  I  think  a 
good  portion  of  the  residents  do  not  use  water 
and  would  not  if  it  were  plentiful.  They  like 
something  stronger.  The  natives  here  are  pro- 
fessional beggars.  Practically  all  of  the  food 
stuff  is  shipped  in,  for  there  is  no  soil  upon  which 
to  grow  anything.  Gibraltar  is  great  as  a  for- 
tress and  certainly  no  Western  power  can  get 
into  or  no  Eastern  power  out  of  the  ■Mediter- 
ranean without  Great  Britain's  consent.  Im- 
morality is  rampant  here  and  virtue  is  a  rare 
jewel.  If  the  British  soldiers  were  as  strong  in 
Christ  as  the  fortress  they  defend,  what  a  power 
they  would  be  for  the  Kingdom !     But  alas ! 

On  Tuesday  morning  we  witnessed  a  burial 
at  sea.  The  service  was  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  most  of  the  passengers  had  not  yet  arisen. 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        239 

The  ship  stopped  still  in  mid-ocean  and  a  little 
baby  was  lowered  to  a  grave  in  the  deep.  It  was 
the  child  of  a  steerage  passenger — some  poor 
mother's  little  one.  Thank  God,  some  glad  day 
even  the  sea  will  give  up  its  dead ! 

From  Gibraltar  we  had  a  delightful  journey 
to  Algiers,  Africa.  The  Mediterranean  was  as 
blue  as  the  sky  and  as  smooth  as  a  mill  pond. 
Most  of  the  seasick  passengers  are  now  recover- 
ed and  are  enjoying  their  journey.  All  the  way 
to  Algiers  we  sailed  in  sight  of  the  Spanish  moun- 
tains and,  while  the  air  was  so  warm  that  we  were 
comfortable  without  overcoats,  still  we  could  see 
snow-clad  mountain  peaks  all  of  the  journey. 

One  ofi  the  loveliest  sights  I  ever  saw  was  the 
sun  setting  in  the  Mediterranean.  Its  rays  were 
reflected  on  the  snow-capped  mountains  while 
the  white  clouds  overhanging  them  were  tinted 
with  colors  of  azure  and  gold.  Anyone  who 
loves  God  and  appreciates  His  wonderful  crea- 
tion could  scarcely  escape  a  blessing  under  such 
sublime  conditions.  "The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  firmament  showeth  his 
handiwork.''  I  walked  about  on  deck  long  after 
night  perfectly  enraptured  with  the  glory  of  the 
scenes  and  with  gratefulness  to  God. 

The  next  morning  we  reached  Algiers.    Here 


240     Life  ov  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

we  were  greeted  with  one  of  our  greatest  sur- 
prises. We  found  Algiers  a  magnificent  modern 
city,  with  beautiful  buildings,  street-cars,  auto- 
mobiles, fine  carriages,  and  as  fine  horses  as  we 
ever  saw,  concrete  buildings  from  three  to  ten 
stories  high,  and  clocks  striking  the  hours  in 
beautiful  chimes.  This  seemed  more  like  New 
York  City  than  a  city  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

Thousands  and  thousands  of  Arabs  and  Turks 
dwell  here.  Mohammedanism  is  the  prevailing 
religion.  The  streets  abound  with  veiled-faced 
women.  I  saw  folks  here  such  as  I  had  never 
imagined  were  even  created.  The  streets  are 
narrow  in  some  sections  and  most  burdens  are 
carried  upon  the  heads  of  the  people — except 
those  of  the  heart,  which  I  judge  must  be  very 
many  and  heavy.  We  visited  an  old  museum 
and  saw  many  interesting  things,  among  them  a 
petrified  man,  a  Christian  who  was  buried  alive 
by  the  Turks  September  18,  1569,  eleven  miles 
out  from  this  city.  He  petrified  and  here  they 
have  the  poor  fellow  on  exhibition. 

France  controls  this  city  and  it  is  keeping 
close  to  Paris  in  style  and  vice.  I  have  seen 
things  to-day  that  would  make  any  well-bred  dog 
in  America  blush.  Modesty  and  decency  are  al- 
most total  strangers  to  the  Arabs.     While  the 


B»^%.JK;l 

jji 

^^^ 

The  AIountaineer  Evangelist.        243 

natives  are  degraded,  the  French  themselves  are 
morally  low,  living-  in  the  sins  Paul  enumerated 
in  the  first  chapter  of  Romans. 

The  Mohammedans  are  very  religious.  They 
wash  their  feet  before  entering  their  mosques, 
which  are  their  places  of  prayer.  No  Christian 
is  permitted  to  defile  a  mosque  with  his  presence ! 
There  are  some  good  schools  here  and  some  Eng- 
lish missionaries  are  devoting  their  lives  to  the 
Christianization  of  these  people.  We  are  130 
miles  from  the  Sahara  desert  and  on  the  very  edge 
of  pure  heathenism.  We  returned  to  the  Laconia 
at  sunset  Friday  and  were  glad  to  get  back  to  our 
floating  temporary  home,  for  all  day  long  I  had 
been  tramping  the  streets  of  a  strange  nation 
and  had  met  no  one  whom  I  could  understand. 
Once  I  saw  a  building  over  which  floated  the  star- 
spangled  banner  and  the  sight  of  the  dear  old  flag 
sent  a  thrill  of  delight  through  me.  God  bless 
the  old  flag  where'er  it  floats,  and  may  it  carry 
not  only  the  light  of  liberty  but  the  light  of  salva- 
tion to  every  land ! 

After  an  uneventful  night's  sail  from  Algiers, 
we  reached  Monaco,  France.  Here  we  landed 
and  went  over  to  Monte  Carlo  which  joins  Mon- 
aco. Monte  Carlo  lies  on  the  slope  of  a  towering 
mountain  along  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean 


244     hiFH  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Sea.  The  city  has  between  twenty  and  thirty 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  the  resort  of  the  rich 
gamblers  of  the  world.  There  are  no  taxes  paid 
here.  The  town  is  maintained  by  the  proceeds 
of  gambling.  In  all  of  my  travels  I  have  never 
before  seen  such  a  magnificent  place.  Almost 
every  building  is  a  palace  and  the  streets  are  as 
clean  as  household  floors.  One  notices  the  con- 
trast between  this  place  and  every  other  one  in 
this  country  in  that  here  one  sees  no  beggars,  no 
poorly  clad  persons,  or  rundown  horses.  Every 
building  looked  like  it  had  been  scrubbed  from 
top  to  bottom  with  soap  and  water.  Here  is  a 
city  of  the  devil;  inspired,  built  and  maintained 
by  him,  for  his  business,  and  yet  it  is  so  beautiful 
as  to  look  like  an  earthly  paradise.  Lovely 
flower  gardens  and  beautiful  parks  abound  on 
ever}^  side.  There  are  no  open  saloons  and  no 
one  can  enter  the  great  gambling-house  without 
paying  an  admission  fee  and  undergoing  close 
scrutiny — they  do  not  seem  to  want  any  dishon- 
est folks  to  get  in  there  (?).  Every  bit  of  the 
devilishness  here  is  completely  hidden.  Never 
did  I  imagine  that  the  devil  had  adorned  himself 
so  pleasingly.  This  city  is  "a  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing." 

One  of  the  features  here  is  a  magnificent  road- 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        245 

way  along  the  mountain-side,  built  by  Napoleon 
when  traveling  through  France  to  Italy.  This 
road  is  fifteen  feet  wide.  If  it  were  not  there  to 
prove  its  own  existence,  one  could  hardly  believe 
such  a  highway  could  be  made.  We  saw  an  old 
ruin  on  the  mountain  back  of  the  city,  which  dates 
back  to  the  days  of  Julius  Caesar.  I  went  to  the 
Catholic  church.  Evidently  their  seats  are  rent- 
ed. I  could  not  understand  anything,  as  French 
was  not  included  in  the  curriculum  of  the  schools 
back  in  Haywood  County,  North  Carolina,  when 
I  was  a  boy.  An  old  woman  entered  the  church 
and  seated  herself  just  in  front  of  me.  An  usher 
tried  to  get  her  to  change  her  seat,  but  she  posi- 
tively refused  to  move.  The  usher  went  for  a 
priest  who  next  endeavored  to  move  the  woman, 
but  she  refused  to  yield.  Then  the  priest  got  an 
officer,  who  came  with  a  sword  and  bayonet  and 
he  took  hold  of  her,  but  she  drew  away  and  would 
not  move  out.  I  thought  I  had  seen  almost  ev- 
erything that  had  happened  or  would  be  likely  to 
happen  in  a  religious  service,  but  I  had  never  be- 
fore seen  anything  equal  to  this.  I  got  a  little 
nervous  and  decided  to  give  up  my  seat  before 
somebody  should  demand  it. 

While  aboard  the  Laconia  one  day,  a  rich  wo- 
man of  the  Monte  Carlo  type,  asked  me  if  I  could 


246    Life:  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

supply  her  with  a  match.  Now  I  carried  a  box 
of  safety  matches  for  precautionary  purposes, 
and  I  handed  her  this  box.  Immediately  she 
lighted  her  cigarette  and  handed  back  the  box. 
Among  these  high-flyers  of  wealth  there  are 
large  numbers  of  girls  who  smoke  cigarettes  ha- 
bitually. Many  of  them  seem  to  be  a  pampered 
set  of  moral  degenerates,  polluting  society  with 
their  wealth  and  lust.  I  have  seen  them  in  the 
dining-room  when  half  of  the  body  above  the 
waist  was  nude.  Fashionable  society  cannot  but 
be  a  menace  to  moral  and  scriptural  virtue.  I 
saw  these  folks  dancing  aboard  ship  half  nude  to 
their  waists  and  with  their  skirts  drawn  up  to 
their  knees.  How  demoralizing  such  conduct 
must  of  necessity  be  to  the  class  that  lives  amidst 
it  constantly. 

Monte  Carlo  is  said  to  be  the  European  head- 
quarters for  suicides.  Here  they  frequently  lose 
all  of  their  money  at  the  gambling  tables  and 
then  go  out  and  blow  out  what  is  called  their 
brains. 

We  left  this  dark  place  at  night  and  sailed  on 
to  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples.  Here,  from  the 
deck,  we  got  our  first  view  of  Italy.  As  we 
glided  into  this,  the  world's  most  beautiful  bay, 
we    saw   that   monstrous   mountain,    Vesuvius. 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        247 

belching  forth  ashes  and  smoke.  We  did  not 
leave  the  ship  here,  as  we  expect  to  stop  to  explore 
this  place  upon  our  return.  We  sailed  out  of  the 
Bay  of  Naples  close  beside  the  Isle  of  Capri,  and 
soon  we  reached  the  Straits  separating  Italy  from 
Sicily.  It  seemed  that  one  could  almost  cast  a 
stone  across  to  either  shore.  Messina  was 
pointed  out  to  us  where  a  hundred  thousand  souls 
perished  during  a  recent  earthquake.  Then  we 
came  in  sight  of  Mount  Etna.  It  was  dark  and 
clouds  hung  over  this  famous  peak  and  wrapped 
it  in  slumber. 

From  Italy  we  sailed  on  to  Alexandria,  Egypt, 
where  we  left  the  Laconia,  after  a  voyage  of 
5,658  miles  of  sea  voyage  which  was,  for  the 
most  part,  wild  and  stormy.  Our  journey  from 
Alexandria  to  Cairo,  a  distance  of  150  miles,  was 
made  by  rail.  The  huts  composing  the  Egyptian 
villages  along  the  way  were  made  of  clay  and 
straw  and  were  covered  with  cornstalks.  The 
natives  were  invariably  semi-nude.  It  appeared 
that  the  camel,  donkey,  women  and  children,  were 
alike,  the  beasts  of  burden.  In  Cairo  we  found 
the  women  tattooed  in  an  amazing  manner,  while 
their  faces  were  partly  concealed  with  veils.  They 
covered  their  heads  with  many  ugly  adornments. 
The  Egyptian  farmer  raises  more  grain  and  hay 


248     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

to  the  square  yard  than  I  ever  saw  elsewhere. 
The  soil  here  is  black  and  rich  like  the  best  of  Illi- 
nois and  the  West.  The  farmers  use  about  the 
same  methods  they  did  a  thousand  years  ago. 

We  spent  three  interesting  days  in  Egypt,  vis- 
iting the  places  of  outstanding  interest  lying  in 
the  hard-beaten  path  of  generations  of  tourists, 
such  as  the  pyramids,  etc.  Then,  from  Port  Said, 
we  embarked  on  a  small  Mediterranean  steamer 
for  Joppa,  the  gateway  to  lower  Palestine.  We 
spent  the  night  en  route  in  a  fearful  storm,  and 
upon  reaching  the  dangerous  harbor  of  Joppa 
we  found  the  danger  signal  out  warning  against 
attempting  a  landing.  But  we  wanted  to  land 
despite  the  danger,  and  so  we  were  taken  fron 
the  ship  by  great  companies  of  boatmen,  and  at 
last  we  planted  our  feet  on  the  sacred  shores  of 
Palestine. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

JopPA.     Jkrusalkm.    Garden  of  Gethsemank. 

Calvary.     Bethlehem.     Jericho. 

Jordan.     Dead  Sea. 

Here  I  am  in  Joppa !  Can  it  be  possible  ?  I 
find  myself  saying  over  and  over,  ''This  is  Joppa ! 
This  is  Joppa,  and  I  am  really  here !"  Well,  the 
dear  Lord  is  good  to  make  this  possible  for  me. 
After  landing,  out  of  what  appeared  to  be  the 
jaws  of  death,  for  the  sea  was  fearfully  wild,  we 
walked  several  minutes  through  mud  and  slush 
and  reached  a  point  where  we  procured  a  carriage 
and  were  taken  to  a  hotel,  where  we  collected  our- 
selves together  somewhat  and  then  started  out 
for  the  one  place  that  has  contributed  most  to  the 
fame  of  this  town — the  house  of  Simon  the  Tan- 
ner. On  the  way  we  passed  through  quaint  and 
interesting  streets,  and  while  I  was  studying  ev- 
erything closely  as  we  proceeded,  I  was  at  the 
same  time  trying  to  convince  myself  that  Luch 

251 


252     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Compton  was  actually  in  the  town.  I  had  heard 
of,  read  of,  and  longed  to  see  this  place  for  many 
years,  and  the  reality  of  actually  being  here  seem- 
ed like  a  dream.  Our  coachman  drove  through 
the  narrow  streets  at  about  the  pace  our  Ameri- 
can fire  horses  dash  to  a  fire.  Had  there  been  a 
"speed  limit"  in  Joppa,  he  would  have  broken  it. 
We  were  all  up  on  our  nerves  fearing  we  would 
run  over  a  pedestrian  but,  happily,  we  had  no 
such  misfortune.  After  taking  us  through  some 
dirty,  dingy  streets  down  near  the  sea,  we  halted 
at  a  place  which  we  were  told  was  the  house  of 
Simon  the  Tanner.  This  is  the  place  where 
Peter  was  receiving  the  vision  when  men  came  to 
him  from  Cornelius  the  centurion  to  take  him  to 
Csesarea  to  visit  their  master.  There  is  a  light- 
house on  the  adjoining  building  to  light  the 
treacherous  harbor  of  Joppa.  On  the  first  floor 
of  the  house  of  Simon  the  Mohammedans  have  a 
mosque. 

From  tills  famous  spot  we  went  to  visit  the 
tomb  of  Tabitha,  which  we  found  in  a  garden 
where  the  Russians  have  erected  a  church  to  her 
memory.  It  was  here  that  Peter  raised  Tabitha 
from  the  dead.  From  this  garden  we  got  a  fine 
view  of  Joppa  and  found  that  the  place  abounded 
with  orange  groves  and  gardens.     While  I  en- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        253 

ioved  the  modern  Joppa,  it  was  the  memory  of 
the  part  the  ancient  town  had  played  in  biblical 
history  that  thrilled  my  heart  with  appreciation 
at  being  there.     Thousands  of  years  ago  this 
was  the  principal  seaport  of  Palestine,  as  it  is 
to-day.    It  was  here  that  the  cedar  and  pine  were 
landed  from  Mt.  Lebanon  by  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre, 
for  the  building  of  Solomon's  temple.  Here  Jonah 
took  ship   to  flee  to   Tarshish   when   God  told 
him  to  go  to  Nineveh.    We  returned  to  our  hotel 
for  lunch  and  then  boarded  a  train  for  Jerusalem. 
Our  train,  as  it  passed  out  of  Joppa,   ran 
through  beautiful  gardens   and  orange  groves 
which  were  enclosed  in  cactus  fences.     In  Pales- 
tine the  cactus  grows  to  the  height  of  seventeen 
to  twenty  feet  and  is  much  used  for  enclosing 
property.     Very  soon  we  reached  the  plain  of 
Sharon.     We  rode  for  two  hours  through  this 
historic  plain,  and,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  were 
fields  of  wheat  and  barley,  olive-trees  and  flowers. 
Then  we  reached  Lydda,  which  is  one  of  the  sta- 
tions en  route  to  Jerusalem,  and  then  we  came  to 
the  site  of  Ekron,  which  was  one  of  the  principal 
cities  of  the  Philistines,  and  was  the  last  place  to 
which  the  ark  was  carried  before  it  was  returned 

to  Israel. 

We  reach  the  valley  of  Sorek,  famous  for  the 


254     LiFi:  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

events  connected  with  the  hves  of  Samson  and 
DeHlah.  Now  we  pass  ancient  Beth-shemesh, 
and  over  there  is  Zorah,  the  birthplace  of  Sam- 
son. All  of  this  country  is  rich  with  sacred  his- 
tory. As  our  train  ran  into  the  Judaean  hills, 
what  is  known  as  Samson's  cave,  was  pointed  out 
to  us.  This  is  identified  as  the  ancient  Rock 
Etam,  from  which  place  Samson  went  forth  and 
slew  a  thousand  Philistines  with  the  jawbone  of 
an  ass.  We  observed  that  the  asses  are  still 
there  in  abundance — but  where  are  the  Philis- 
tines ? 

The  journey  througti  these  Judsean  hills  is 
very  interesting.  On  the  hillsides  can  be  seen 
droves  of  sheep  and  goats,  with  the  shepherds 
close  by.  Peasant  huts  are  numerous  through- 
out these  hills.  We  reached  the  spring  of  Hanieh. 
According  to  tradition,  this  is  the  place  where 
Philip  baptized  the  eunuch.  These  hills  and  val- 
leys do  not  compare  with  those  of  our  Southland 
in  natural  beauty,  but  as  one  passes  through  them 
who  is  familiar  with  the  scriptural  connections 
and  loves  his  Bible  and  his  God,  he  sees  incom- 
parable beauty  amid  the  natural  barrenness  and 
desolation.  Wild  animals  abound  among  these 
hills  and,  were  it  not  for  the  watchful  care  of  the 
shepherds,  the  sheep  would  soon  perish.     Our 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        255 

guide  told  us  that  sheep  which  go  astray  are  in- 
variably devoured  by  wild  beasts. 

As  the  train  sped  along  through  these  Judaean 
hills,  I  kept  my  head  out  of  the  car  window  and 
my  eyes  as  wide  open  as  Brother  Patty  describes 
me  when,  as  a  green  mountain  lad,  I  first  entered 
Cincinnati.  Well,  I  didn't  go  to  Palestine  to 
miss  anything! 

Presently  we  came  in  sight  of  a  beautiful  city 
with  many  towers  and  steeples,  and  our  guide 
said,  "This  is  Jerusalem,  and  the  portion  you  see 
from  here  is  Mt.  Zion."  I  cannot  describe  the 
emotions  that  swept  over  me  upon  hearing  this 
announcement.  From  a  distance,  Jerusalem  is 
a  beautiful  city,  but  alas !  the  proverb,  "Distance 
lends  enchantment,''  is  all  too  applicable.  We 
reached  the  station  and  as  we  stepped  off  the 
train,  such  a  bedlam  I  never  heard  before ;  it  was 
as  though  we  had  been  suddenly  set  down  in  the 
center  of  a  riot.  At  last  our  guide  got  us  into  a 
carriage  and  drove  like  a  fireman,  and  I  thought 
surely  this  man  must  be  a  direct  descendant  of 
Jehu,  for  "he  drove  furiously."  We  were  land- 
ed safely  at  the  Grand  New  Hotel,  however,  in 
spite  of  all  our  fears  to  the  contrary.  Here  we 
found  everything  that  a  traveler  could  desire  for 
his  rest  and  comfort.     In  a  little  while  I  wan- 


256    Life  of  Lucius  Buxyan  Compton 

dered  out  and  soon  discovered  that  the  beauty  of 
Jerusalem  consists  in  seeing  her  at  a  distance.  I 
found  the  city  all  right  for  situation,  but  a  failure 
for  sanitation. 

The  city  that  Christ  and  the  apostles  knew 
is  buried  under  the  rubbish  of  the  present  one. 
Jerusalem  has  been  destroyed  and  rebuilt  several 
times  and  yet  no  Christian  man  with  eyes  in  his 
soul  can  pass  through  these  streets  without  seeing 
beyond  the  present  filth  and  squalor  the  glory  of 
the  past,  and  he  is  sure  to  be  overwhelmed  by 
emotions  such  as  could  scarcely  be  called  to  life 
elsewhere  in  the  world.  Some  of  my  richest  hours 
in  Palestine  were  spent  on  the  Mount  of  Olives 
under  an  ancient  olive-tree,  with  my  open  Bible, 
reading  the  scriptural  account  of  the  events  that 
transpired  within  the  radius  of  my  vision. 

One  day,  all  alone,  I  went  along  the  Via  Dolo- 
rosa, lost  in  deep  meditation  of  the  day  two  thou- 
sand years  ago  when  Christ,  my  Savior,  bore  the 
cross  along  this  route  to  Calvary.  What  a  tu- 
mult of  sacred  and  sublime  emotions  swept  over 
my  soul  as  I  wandered  along  this  most  sacred 
roadway  of  the  world! 

I  was  not  helpfully  impressed  with  my  visit 
to  the  Church  of  the  Holv  Sepulchre.  It  is  claimed 
that  this  is  the  site  of  the  tomb  of  Joseph  of 


ii^llllf-l 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       259 

Arimathaea — the  grave  of  Jesus  Christ.  What- 
ever righteous  claim  tliis  place  ever  had  to  this 
honor,  it  is  evident  that  the  devil  is  in  sole  pos- 
session now.  The  Latin,  the  Greek,  the  Armen- 
ian, the  Coptic,  the  Assyrian  and  the  Abyssinian 
churches  have  each  marked  off  for  themselves  a 
certain  portion  of  this  spot,  and  to  keep  them 
from  tearing  each  other  to  pieces,  the  Turkish 
Government  keeps  armed  soldiers  there.  Think 
of  Turks  maintaining  amicable  relations  between 
professed  Christians !  And  that  at  the  tomb  of 
Christ ! 

The  day  before  Easter  one  of  the  world's  most 
reprehensible  frauds  is  perpetrated  on  thousands 
of  simple  hearts  in  this  Church.  There  are  two 
holes,  one  in  the  north  and  one  in  the  south  side 
of  the  holy  sepulchre.  It  is  claimed  that  holy  fire 
lit  by  God  comes  forth  through  these  holes  and 
pilgrims  almost  tear  each  other  in  pieces  in  their 
frantic  struggle  to  reach  this  fire  and  lig'ht  their 
candles.  They  are  taug'ht  to  believe  that,  if  they 
procure  this  light,  they  will  obtain  great  favor 
with  God.  The  bishops,  who  are  well  paid  for 
these  privileges,  are  getting  richer  and  richer 
through  the  practice  of  this  deception,  while  tiie 
poor  pilgrims  are  being  taught  to  believe  in  a  lie 
and,  building  their  hopes  upon  a  fraud,  will, 


26o    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

doubtless,  be  damned.  Numbers  have  been  mur- 
dered here  in  fanatical  quarrels.  These  fakers 
will  show  a  tourist  anything  in  this  church  from 
Adam's  skull  to  the  Judgment  Day ! 

One  spot  within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  be- 
came particularly  interesting  to  me,  this  was  the 
site  of  the  tower  of  Hananeel.  The  Grand 
New  Hotel,  where  our  party  was  entertained,  is 
built  on  the  old  foundations  of  this  ancient 
tower.  In  Jeremiah  3 :  38-40  we  read,  ''Behold 
the  day  cometh,  saith  the  Lord,  that  the  city  shall 
be  built  to  the  Lord  from  the  tower  of  Hananeel 
imto  the  gate  of  the  corner.''  This  prophecy  is 
now  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  for  from  this  point 
north,  "even  to  the  hill  Gareb,"  are  the  finest 
buildings  to  be  found  in  the  city. 

The  temple  area  also  interested  me  particu- 
larly. The  enclosure  is  said  to  cover  thirty-five 
acres.  Here  we  stood  on  Mt.  Moriah.  Here 
is  where  Oman  'had  his  threshing-floor.  Here  is 
where  Abraham  ofifered  up  Isaac.  Here  is  where 
David  interceded  for  the  plague-stricken  people. 
Here  stood  the  temple  of  Israel's  pride  and  glory. 
The  building  over  this  rock  is  called  "The  Mosque 
of  Omar,"  wliidh  is  one  of  the  most  elegant  Mo- 
hammedan buildings  in  the  world.  From  this 
place  there  shone  forth  the  light  of  the  Shekinah 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        261 

and  here  God  revealed  Himself  to  His  people, 
until  unbelief  and  wilful  disobedience  brought  de- 
feat and  disaster  and  alien  powers  utterly  de- 
stroyed this  holy  place.  While  standing  here,  I 
thought  of  the  devout  Jews  all  over  the  earth, 
burdened  and  sorely  oppressed,  Who  are  contin- 
ually turning  their  eyes  towards  this  sacred  spot. 

From  Mt.  Moriah  we  went  through  what  is 
claimed  to  be  Solomon's  stables,  and  from  this 
place  we  climbed  to  a  high  wall  where  we  gained 
a  splendid  view  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
This  is  the  place  where  all  devout  Jews  desire  to 
be  buried.  The  dead  of  all  generations  are  bur- 
ied there  and  so  the  valley  looks  more  like  a  vast 
cemetery  than  anything  else.  From  here  we  got 
a  good  view  of  the  biiook  Kedron,  Absalom's 
pillar,  the  tombs  of  St.  James  and  Zechariah,  the 
Mount  of  Olives  and  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 
All  the  w^hile  we  were  here  we  were  watched  very 
closely  by  a  Mohammedan  soldier.  For  our  pro- 
tection we  were  accompanied  by  an  official  from 
the  American  consulate.  The  Mohammedans 
have  intense  hatred  for  all  Christians. 

We  visited  the  Convent  of  Little  Sisters  of 
Mt.  Zion  which,  it  is  claimed,  contains  a  portion 
of  the  judgment  hall  of  Pilate.  Then  we  Went 
to  the  Pool  of  Bethesda.     This  is  the  place  to 


262     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

which  the  sick  came  in  order  to  be  healed  when 
the  angel  troubled  the  waters.  This  pool  is  fifty 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  Jerusalem  of  to-day. 
This  fact  gives  one  an  idea  of  the  depth  of  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Jerusalem,  which  was  doubtless 
on  a  level  with  the  Bethesda  pool.  A  visit  to  the 
corn  market  on  David  Street  provided  us  with  an 
illustration  of  what  Christ  meant  when  he  spoke 
of  "shaking  the  measure,  pressing  it  down,  and 
causing  it  to  run  over.''  This  is  still  the  custom 
among  the  traders  in  Jerusalem. 

We  spent  an  interesting  morning  on  Mt.  Zion. 
The  Armenian  Church  of  St.  James  is  a  marvel- 
ous structure.  Among  its  many  departments 
there  is  one  large  monastery  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  Armenian  Christians  whoi  come  to  Je- 
rusalem by  the  thousands  to  worship  God.  We 
were  shown  the  traditional  palace  of  Caiaphas 
the  high  priest.  We  were  also  shown  the  spot 
where  it  is  claimed  Peter  stood  when  he  denied 
Christ,  and  the  location  of  the  famous  rooster 
when  he  crowed  in  fulfillment  of  prophecy.  T  be- 
gan to  expect  that  they  would  next  show  us  the 
rooster  himself,  or  at  least  a  few  of  his  feathers ! 
Not  far  from  here  is  a  Mohammedan  mosque 
which  IS  claimed  to  be  the  tomb  of  David.  There 
are  good  grounds  for  this  claim  and  doubtless 


L;fll^^jgr:j 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        265 

this  is  where  that  famous  king  was  laid  to  rest. 
Adjoining-  this  tomb  is  the  chamber  of  the  Last 
Supper.  It  is  a  humble  room  divided  into  two 
parts  by  columns  running  through  the  center. 
The  dimensions  are  thirty  by  fifty  feet.  One 
part  of  the  room  is  used  as  a  place  of  prayer  by 
Christians  and  the  other  is  used  by  the  Moham- 
medans. The  Mohammedans  come  here  to  beg 
the  prayers  of  David  for  their  souls.  If  this  is 
actually  the  place  where  our  Lord  and  His  dis- 
ciples gathered  for  the  Last  Supper,  it  is  worthy 
of  great  veneration.  This  is  also  claimed  to  be 
the  Upper  Chamber  where  the  Holy  Ghost  de- 
scended upon  the  disciples  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost. I  was  deeply  moved  as  I  stood  in  this  place 
and  thought  of  the  stupendous  biblical  events  that 
transpired  here,  if  the  place  is  authentic.  Here 
on  Mondays  and  Tuesdays  the  Franciscans  wash 
the  feet  of  the  pilgrims  Who  gather,  in  memory 
of  the  days  when  Christ  washed  the  feet  of  His 
disciples.  I  lingered  there  as  long  as  possible, 
with  a  meditative  and  worshipful  heart,  for  a  very 
sacred  influence  was  upon  me  while  I  tarried 
there. 

The  Bible  declares  that  David  and  Solomon 
were  buried  in  the  city  of  David  and  also  that 
David's  tomb  was  near  a  pool.     Very  near  this 


266    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

place  is  the  pool  of  Siloam.  On  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost Peter  said  that  ''David's  burial-place  is  with 
us  to  this  day/'  Josephus  also  testifies  to  the 
same  fact.  To  me  there  is  no  place  in  the  Holy 
Land  more  impressive  and  sacred  than  the  area 
known  as  Mt.  Zion. 

From  Jerusalem  we  went  one  day  to  Bethle- 
h«Ti.  We  started  very  early  in  the  morning  de- 
scending from  the  southwest  gate  into  the  valley 
of  Gihon.  This  is  where  Samuel  anointed  Saul 
king  of  Israel,  after  he  had  found  his  father's 
asses.  There  seems  to  be  plenty  of  descendants 
of  those  asses,  for  they  are  much  in  evidence  ev- 
erywhere. We  reached  a  point  en  route  to  Beth- 
lehem where,  looking  back,  we  got  a  magnificent 
view  of  Jerusalem  from  the  southwest.  We 
passed  Rachel's  tomb,  which  stands  by  the  road- 
side. In  Bethlehem  we  visited  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity,  erected  over  the  spot  where  our  Christ 
was  born.  There  is  little  reason  to  doubt  the 
authenticity  of  this  place.  We  were  deeply  sad- 
dened here,  as  elsewhere,  to  find  armed  soldiers 
present  to  prevent  so-called  Christians  from  fight- 
ing" over  the  possession  of  the  church.  We  had 
difficulty  getting  through  the  crowd  of  Russian 
pilgrims  who  were  kneeling  about  the  floors  and 
kissing  the  stones  all  around  the  church.     I  never 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        267 

saw  such  evidences  of  passionate  devotion  as  I 
witnessed  among  those  pilgrims. 

We  went  from  the  Church  of  the  Nativity 
to  the  outer  part  of  the  town,  where  we  gazed 
out  over  the  plains  of  Bethlehem.  In  the  dis- 
tance we  could  see  the  mountains  where  David 
hid  himself  from  Saul.  These  were  the  hills  up- 
on which  David  w^atched  his  father's  sheep.  As 
I  looked  upon  these  beautiful  fields,  I  did  not  won- 
der that  David  wrote  poems  about  them,  and  up- 
on them — I  felt  like  trying  to  do  so  myself.  Here 
were  the  fields  of  Boaz,  where  Ruth,  the  grand- 
mother of  David,  gleaned.  The  land  is  fertile 
and  productive  and  as  we  looked  upon  it  the  fields 
were  green  with  growing  grain. 

One  day  we  made  a  journey  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho,  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  Trav- 
eling these  sixteen  miles,  we  passed  through  the 
Wilderness  of  Judaea.  We  tarried  awhile  at  the 
Inn  of  the  Good  Samaritan.  All  around  this 
place  one  can  see  shepherds  watching  their  flocks, 
as  they  did  thousands  of  years  ago.  As  we  passed 
along  we  came  to  the  great  gorge  of  the  brook 
Cherith,  and,  ascending  a  hill,  we  looked  down 
upon  a  Greek  monastery,  which  is  claimed  to  be 
on  the  spot  where  the  ravens  fed  the  prophet 
Elijah.     Long  before  reaching  Jericho,  we  had 


268     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

a  splendid  view  of  the  Jordan,  the  Dead  Sea  and 
the  mountains  of  Moab  just  across  the  Jordan. 

Just  at  the  wall  of  old  Jericho  is  Elisha's 
fountain.  I  drank  freely  of  this  water  and  am 
a  witness  to  its  sweetness  still,  even  as  the  Bible 
declares.  Here  we  saw  the  Mount  of  Tempta- 
tion, where  Christ  spent  the  forty  days  when 
tempted  of  the  devil.  We  spent  one  night  at 
Jericho.  The  location  of  my  window  was  such 
that  I  could  look  out  upon  this  mountain,  and,  the 
night  having  a  good  moon,  I  was  able  to  see  the 
mountain  clearly.  I  could  hear  the  jackals  bark- 
ing in  the  distance  which  reminded  me  of  the 
Scripture  which  says,  "He  was  with  tli^  wild 
beasts." 

We  enjoyed  a  boat  ride  on  the  Jordan,  also  a 
baptismal  service.  While  down  at  the  Dead  Sea 
we  had  a  swim.  This  should  be  the  best  place  on 
earth  for  one  to  learn  this  art,  for  it  is  impossible 
for  a  person  to  sink  in  this  bouyant,  saline  water. 
This  sea  is  1,292  feet  below  the  level  of  the  Medi- 
terranean and  4,012  feet  below  the  summit  of  the 
Mount  of  Olives. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Mount  Carme:l.     Plain  of  Esdraelon. 
Nazarkth.     Ska  oi^  Galilkk. 

On  Monday,  March  eleventh,  we  embarked 
at  Joppa  for  Haifa.  The  waters  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean were  still  exceedingly  rough,  but  we 
greatly  enjoyed  our  voyage  of  six  hours  along 
the  even  shore  line  of  Jud^a,  Samaria  and  Phoe- 
necia  and  around  Mt.  Carmel's  mighty  projection, 
which  shelters  and  enfolds  the  Bay  of  Acre  and 
Haifa,  the  gateway  of  upper  Palestine. 

As  we  passed  the  little  town  of  Csesarea,  I 
thought  of  Cornelius  the  centurion,  his  wonder- 
ful vision,  his  sending  for  Peter,  and  the  far- 
reaching  significance  of  the  Apostle's  visit.  I 
also  remembered  that  it  was  to  this  place  that 
Saint  Paul  was  sent  from  Jerusalem  where 
"above  forty  men  had  bound  themselves  with  an 
oath  to  kill  him."     Here  Paul  made  his  defense 

271 


2^2    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

before  Felix  and  Festus  and  from  Caesarea  he 
appealed  to  Rome.  I  shall  never  forget  our  en- 
try into  the  Bay  of  Acre  and  the  harbor  of  Haifa, 
for  we  reached  the  harbor  just  as  the  sun  was 
setting  in  the  sea  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Carmel.  The 
sun  never  made  its  exit  more  gloriously,  nor  in 
more  generous  mood,  for  it  completely  deluged 
the  sea  and  the  sky  with  its  rarest  rays,  and  its 
beams  played  hide-and-seek  with  the  shadows 
around  Mt.  Carmel.  We  spent  the  night  in  the 
hotel  just  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  as  we 
fell  asleep  with  the  lingering  memory  of  the  sun- 
set still  with  us,  we  felt  that  God  had  done  His 
best  to  soothe  us  into  sweetest  slumber. 

The  next  morning  we  started  in  carriages  for 
a  five-hours  drive  to  Nazareth.  We  drove 
straight  through  Haifa,  the  roadway  skirting 
the  northern  slope  of  Carmel,  then  through  the 
plain  of  Acre,  and  then  across  the  river  Kishon. 
Here  the  two  greatest  battles  of  Israel's  history 
were  fought  and  won.  We  tarried  awhile  be- 
side the  river  Kishon,  meditating  upon  the  thril- 
ling deeds  of  old  which  were  enacted  in  sight  of 
its  silver  stream,  then,  after  a  short  ride,  we  came 
to  a  splendid  oak  grove  upon  a  hilltop,  where  we 
spread  our  lunch  upon  the  grass.  I  never  expect 
to  dine  among  sublimer  scenes  until  I  sit  down  at 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        275 

the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb.  We  could 
see  clearly  the  mountain  peak  where  the  priests 
of  Baal  tortured  themselves  all  day  in  frantic  ef- 
forts to  get  a  response  from  their  gods,  and 
where,  when  Elijah  the  prophet  simply  and  be- 
lievingly  prayed  to  Jehovah,  the  fire  from  Heaven 
fell  and  consumed  the  sacrifice.  There  was  the 
river  Kishon  still  in  view  and  the  superbly  beau- 
tiful plain  of  Esdr?elon,  the  arena  upon  which 
was  enacted  more  of  Israers  history  than  else- 
where in  Palestine. 

As  we  proceeded  upon  our  journey,  we  were 
not  long  in  reaching  the  hills  of  Galilee,  and 
there,  from  the  top  of  one  of  them,  we  had  a  fine 
view  of  Mt.  Carmel  on  our  right  and  the  moun- 
tains of  Samaria  to  the  south.  I  thought  of  the 
utterance  of  the  woman  at  the  well,  "Our  fathers 
worshipped  in  these  mountains."  To  the  east  of 
us  were  the  mountains  of  Gilead.  We  beheld 
the  village  of  Shunem,  w^here  lived  the  woman 
who  said  to  her  husband  concerning  Elisha  the 
prophet,  "Behold  now  I  perceive  that  this  is  an 
holy  man  of  God  which  passeth  by  us  continually. 
Let  us  make  a  little  chamber  and  it  shall  be  when 
he  Cometh  to  us  he  shall  turn  in  thither.''  We 
looked  upon  Nain  and  thought  of  our  Lord's 
miracle  in  raising  to  life  the  son  of  the  weeping 


2y6    LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

widow.  We  saw  Endor,  situated  southeast  of 
us  on  the  hillside.  To  this  place  came  King  Saul 
to  interview  the  witch.  Here  he  got  the  revela- 
tion that  increased  his  miseries.  Endor  has  a 
hard  name  to  this  day.  I  did  not  enter  the  vil- 
lage; it  held  no  fascination  for  me.  The  moun- 
tains, Tabor  and  Gilboa,  are  in  plain  view  and, 
rising  from  this  beautiful  and  historic  plain  of 
Jezreel,  greatly  enhanced  both  its  interest  and 
beauty.  Tradition  claims  that  the  transfigura- 
tion of  Christ  occurred  on  Mt.  Tabor. 

It  was  not  long  until  we  ascended  a  hill  and, 
as  we  looked  down  the  other  side,  we  beheld  one 
of  Palestine's  most  interesting  and  sacred  places 
— there  before  us  was  Nazareth,  where  Jesus 
Christ  the  Savior  of  the  w^orld  spent  most  of  His 
earthly  life!  In  all  of  my  travels  no  place  has 
appealed  to  me  as  has  this.  We  spent  a  day  and 
a  half  here  viewing  the  town  from  every  angle 
and  reverently  visiting  every  place  of  biblical  in- 
terest. The  most  fascinating  place  to  me  was 
the  well  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  This,  it  seems  to 
be  absolutely  certain,  was  the  identical  well  at 
which  the  family  of  Joseph  and  Mary  obtained 
all  of  their  drinking  water  nearly  two  thousand 
years  ago.  I  lingered  long  beside  this  fountain, 
lost  in  profound  meditation,  thinking  of  those 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        277 

days  of  long  ago  when  Jesus  Christ,  His  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  Alary  His  mother,  all  came  hither 
to  fill  their  pitchers  and  engage  in  conversation 
and  interchanges  of  courtesies  with  neighbors 
and  friends.    I  was  impressed  with  the  kindli- 
ness of  one  to  the  other  here.     They  would  take 
pains  to  place  the  vessel  of  water  upon  each  oth- 
er's heads  and  in  other  ways  show  a  friendly  and 
helpful  spirit.     Here  I  saw  many  little  barefoot 
children  in  rags,  with  beautiful  eyes,  and  such 
kindly  countenances  that  I  fell  in  love  with  them, 
and  wished  I  could  have  them  join  our  family  at 
Eliada. 

The  customs  of  the  people  of  Nazareth  are 
probably  about  the  same  as  in  Christ's  time.  Of 
course  we  visited  the  Church  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion. It  is  a  chapel  built  over  a  cave  in  a  rock 
which  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  home  of  Mary. 
Mary  was  poor  and  to  this  day  the  poor  still  dwell 
in  caves  under  the  mountain  cliffs.  Thousands 
of  homes  in  Palestine  are  not  as  clean  or  com- 
fortable as  most  of  the  barns  in  America  that 
shelter  our  horses  and  cattle.  We  were  shown 
what  is  claimed  to  be  the  site  of  the  home  of 
Joseph,  where  Jesus  w'as  reared  and  "increased 
in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor  with  God  and 
m.an."     We  also  visited  the  Greek  church  which 


278     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Jewish  synagogue 
where  Jesus  worshipped  while  in  Nazareth.  We 
cHmbed  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill  where,  doubtless, 
Jesus  often  came,  and  from  here  we  could  not 
only  see  all  of  Nazareth,  but  nearly  all  of  Pales- 
tine, for  this  is  one  of  the  three  most  famous  view- 
points in  Palestine.  We  could  see  the  Bay  of 
Acre,  and  Mt.  Carmel  protruding  into  the  sea  to 
the  west;  to  the  south,  the  mountains  of  Samaria; 
to  the  east,  Mt.  Gilead;  to  the  north,  Mt.  Her- 
mon.  Then,  before  us,  spread  out  like  a  great 
green  carpet,  was  the  plain  of  Esdrselon,  through 
which,  like  a  silver  thread  ran  the  river  Kishon. 
It  is  evident  that  from  childhood  Jesus  must  have 
possessed  great  familiarity  with  the  geography 
of  His  native  land,  for  from  a  hilltop  back  of  His 
home  He  could  behold  most  of  it  with  His  nat- 
ural eyes. 

Reluctantly  we  left  this  town,  so  full  of 
scenes  and  memories  that  open  all  the  floodgates 
of  a  Christian  man's  emotions,  and  continued 
our  journey  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  We  passed 
through  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  our  Lord  per- 
formed His  first  miracle.  The  Greek  Church 
claims  to  have  here  one  of  the  water  jars  used 
by  Christ  when  he  turned  the  water  into  wine. 
We  also  had  pointed  out  to  us  the  well  from  which 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.        279 

the  water  was  drawn  to  fill  the  jars.  As  we 
drove  on  eastward,  we  came  to  a  curiously  shaped 
hill  having  on  its  summit  two  peaks.  This  Is 
the  Mount  of  Beatitudes,  where  Jesus  preached 
the  world's  most  famous  sermon.  How  I  want- 
ed to  tarry  here,  but  time  forbade,  and  on  we 
went  until  presently  we  came  upon  a  scene  that 
drove  away  all  thoughts  of  everything  else. 
Over  a  thousand  feet  below  us  we  beheld  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  the  most  sacred  body  of  water  on 
earth.  We  saw  Safed,  the  "city  set  upon  a  hill 
that  cannot  be  hid."  This  city  is  in  full  view  of 
the  spot  where  Jesus  spoke  these  words. 

Tiberias  is  a  city  of  about  ten  thousand  in- 
habitants, mostly  Jews.  This  is  the  only  city  or 
town  mentioned  in  the  Bible  which  is  still  stand- 
ing by  these  sacred  waters.  From  our  hotel  ver- 
anda we  gazed  from  one  end  of  this  sea  to  the 
other,  and  straight  across,  four  miles,  is  the 
country  of  the  Gadarenes. 

We  spent  two  days  here  trying  to  take  in  the 
spirit  of  this  place,  remembering  that  around  this 
lake,  which  is  twelve  miles  long  and  four  miles 
wide,  the  most  of  Christ's  miracles  were  per- 
formed. 

Even  apart  from  its  sacred  associations,  this 
is  a  place  where  one  could  spend  enjoyable  time. 


28o    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

The  air  is  warm  and  pleasant  and  one  can  sit 
on  the  hotel  porch  and  eat  the  sweet  oranges 
which  grow  here,  and  at  the  same  time,  looking 
north,  see  Mount  Hermon  covered  with  snow, 
while  near  at  hand  are  the  trees  green  with  fol- 
iage and  fragrant  with  flowers,  and  on  all  sides 
the  shepherds  with  their  large  flocks  grazing  on 
the  mountain  slopes.  To  me,  all  this  was  sec- 
ondary, for  my  heart  and  mind  were  running 
throughout  this  whole  country  tracing  the  foot- 
steps of  Him  who  made  it  the  most  famous  spot 
in  the  world.  This  is  the  cradle  of  His  teach- 
ings, the  country  of  His  disciples — the  human 
material  He  used  in  establishing  the  Gospel  of 
the  kingdom.  Here  was  His  chosen  retreat 
when  he  desired  to  get  away  from  His  foes.  We 
could  look  across  to  Bethsaida  where,  after  He 
had  fed  the  multitude  in  the  desert,  He  preached 
the  sermon  on  redemption  through  His  blood. 
Somewhere  within  the  range  of  vision.  He 
preached  His  first  sermon,  and  chose  Simon  and 
Andrew,  James  and  John,  to  be  His  disciples. 

My  Bible  seems  like  utterances  of  fire  as  I  read 
of  the  miracles  performed  here — the  sick  that 
were  healed,  the  demons  cast  out,  the  hearts 
briio-htened  by  His  presence,  the  hours  spent  alone 
in  prayer  somewhere  on  these  mountains,  and  His 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       281 

mighty  ministry  along  these  shores.  Surely  this 
place  was  thoroughly  evangelized  by  our  Lord. 
Little  wonder  the  disciples  awoke  Jesus  from 
sleep  when  out  on  the  lake  in  a  storm.  No  lake 
on  earth  rages  more  fiercely  during  an  east  wind. 
We  saw  it  when  it  was  raging  and  we  saw  it  When 
calm. 

One  morning  we  visited  Capernaum.  What 
a  lonely,  desolate  place!  This  was  one  time  the 
home  of  Heaven's  King.  After  living  two  years 
and  a  half  there  and  preaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues, offering  mercy  to  all,  not  only  Jews  but 
all  in  that  region  hearing  the  truth,  now  one  can 
see  the  judgments  of  God  on  the  place.  Truly 
it  has  been  cast  down  to  Hell.  A  Catholic  monk 
stays  there  to  guard  the  ruins  of  the  place  which 
is  being  excavated. 

The  only  way  in  which  the  place  can  be  iden- 
tified IS  by  the  ruins  of  the  magnificent  temple, 
which  perhaps  was  built  by  the  centurion  who 
sent  for  Jesus  to  heal  his  servant.  Standing  on 
the  pillars  of  this  temple,  which  has  been  exca- 
vated, no  other  sign  of  a  city  can  be  seen.  All  is 
buried  several  feet  under  the  earth. 

Capernaum,  Chorazin,  Bethsaida  are  all  gone 
— a  testimony  of  God's  judgments  on  rejection  of 
light.     I  did  not  care  to  linger  here. 


2S2    Life  or  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Magdala  alone  remains.  This  was  the  home 
of  Mary  Magdalene  out  of  whom  Jesus  cast  seven 
devils  and  no  doubt  this  quiet  little  village  stands 
in  memory  of  her. 

Aside  from  the  sadness  of  the  thought  of 
God's  judgments  here,  there  is  something  very 
pleasant  about  this  lake.  We  were  impressed 
by  the  quietness  of  the  evenings.  We  enjoyed 
going  on  the  roof  of  the  hotel  and  watching  the 
last  rays  of  sunset.  Then  the  herdsmen  would 
drive  in  their  flocks  and  the  Mohammedan  would 
call  out  the  time  of  prayer  from  the  minaret. 
"Come  to  prayer,  there  is  but  one  God,  the  only 
true  God,  and  Mahomet  is  His  prophet."  He 
cries  this  for  several  minutes  at  sunset  and  at 
different  times  during  the  day.  This  is  done  in 
every  country  where  Mohammedans  have  con- 
trol. 

We  gathered  in  the  dining-room  the  last 
night ;  and  we  all  sang, 

*'0  Galilee,  sweet  Galilee, 
Where  Jesus  loved  so  much  to  be; 
0  Galilee,  sweet  Galilee, 
Come  sing  thy  song  again  to  me.'' 

The  next  day  we  returned  to  Haifa  and  spent 
the  night  at  Carmel  Hotel.  In  the  morning  we 
drove   to  the  monasterv  on   Mt.   Carmel   from 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       283 

which  we  got  a  wonderful  view  of  the  sea  and 
valleys  below.  This  monastery  is  said  to  be  over 
the  cave  where  Elijah  sought  refuge  from  Ahab, 
which  cave  we  also  entered. 

After  viewing  the  scenery  from  the  mountain, 
we  knelt  in  prayer,  to  the  God  of  Elijah  who  still 
lives  and  answers  by  fire.  We  realized  His  pres- 
ence and  came  down  refreshed  in  soul  and  body. 

There  were  many  other  places  of  interest  we 
should  have  enjoyed  visiting,  but  the  country  is 
disturbed  by  war  and  some  thought  it  unsafe  to 
venture  to  these  places. 

As  we  left  the  Holy  Land,  we  felt  that  we 
could  never  praise  the  Lord  sufficiently  for  this 
privilege  of  following  in  His  footsteps  in  His  own 
country. 

We  will  never  cease  to  pray  for  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  and  all  Palestine.  May  the  Lord 
soon  come  and  reveal  His  glory  to  all  nations! 

En  route  home  our  party  visited  Naples,  Mt. 
Vesuvius,  Rome,  Switzerland,  Paris  and  London. 
While  in  England,  I  tarried  a  month  responding 
to  many  requests  to  preach  in  London  and  Man- 
chester. Had  I  not  been  urged  to  tarry  in  Eng- 
land a  few  days  longer,  I  should,  in  all  probabil- 
ity, have  taken  passage  on  the  Titanic  and  suf- 
fered the  fearful  exposure  of  the  rescued,  or, 


284    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

what  is  more  likely,  have  perished  in  the  depths 
of  the  ocean.  During  this  trip,  of  which  so  many 
thousands  of  miles  were  traversed  by  sea  and 
during  which  we  were  in  the  midst  of  terrific 
storms,  I  was  never  sick  and  enjoyed  every  min- 
ute of  all  of  the  experiences.  I  reached  home 
safely  with  my  heart  full  of  praise  to  the  Heav- 
enly Father  for  all  of  the  instruction,  inspiration 
and  happiness  the  journey  had  brought  to  me, 
and  with  a  great  desire  that  He  would  thereby  so 
enrich  my  life  that  I  would  be  able  to  pass  the 
benefit  along  to  all  among  whom  I  should  minis- 
ter in  the  homeland. 


APPENDIX 


288 


A  Sermon  on  the  State  of  Souls 
AFTER  Death. 

By  Mr.  Compton. 

"'Man  dieth  and  is  laid  low;  yea,  man  giveth 
up  the  ghost,  and  zvhere  is  hef*     (Job  14:  10.) 

There  are  few  religious  subjects  upon  which 
the  world  holds  so  great  a  variety  of  views  as 
that  of  the  state  of  the  soul  after  death.  Many 
of  these  views  are  unsound.  I  may  say  some 
things  in  this  discussion  which  will  be  contrary  to 
your  views,  but  I  shall  endeavor  to  adhere  strict- 
ly to  the  Word  of  God.  Personally,  I  am  as 
interested  in  the  country  where  I  am  going  to 
spend  eternity  as  I  am  in  the  country  in  which  I 
now  live,  and  I  want  to  gain  all  of  the  knowledge 
of  that  other  land  I  can  before  I  reach  there. 

The  text  asks,  "Man  dieth  and  is  laid  low; 
yea,  man  giveth  up  the  ghost,  and  where  is  he?'' 

287 


288    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

With  the  help  of  God,  let  us  seek  a  scriptural 
answer  to  this  question.  When  we  die  where  is 
the  heart,  the  soul,  the  real  man? 

Philippians  2:  10  clearly  reveals  to  us  that 
there  are  three  worlds  where  beings  are  in  con- 
scious existence:  "Every  knee  shall  bow,  of 
things  in  heaven" — note  that  is  one  place;  "and 
things  in  earth" — that  is  another  place;  "and 
things  under  the  earth" — that  is  the  third  place. 

In  the  American  Revised  Version  of  the  Bi- 
ble, which  I  have  used  for  many  years,  I  found 
the  word  Sheol  frequently  used,  and  upon  con- 
sulting a  Bible  dictionary  I  found  that  this  He- 
brew word  Sheol  has  the  same  meaning  as  the 
Greek  word  Hades,  or  hell.  Scholars  tell  us  that 
the  word  Sheol  in  the  Old  Testament  is  the  same 
as  Hades  in  the  New  Testament,  and  they  never 
refer  to  the  grave.  Here  are  a  few  reasons  why 
Sheol  and  Hades  cannot  mean  the  grave. 

1.  You  never  find  the  word  Sheol  in  the 
plural. 

2.  You  never  read  of  the  human  body  going 
to  Sheol. 

3.  Sheol  is  never  located  on  earth. 

4.  Man  was  never  known  to  dig  or  make  a 
Sheol 

Now  all  of  these  points  are  found  in  connec- 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.        289 

tion  with  the  word  grave  or  sepulchre.  Sheol 
means  the  abode  of  departed  spirits,  and  not  the 
grave.  No  doubt  the  reason  why  the  King 
James'  translators  translated  the  word  Sheol, 
grave,  is  that  they  did  not  understand  that  Sheol 
was  a  place  of  two  compartments  before  the  cru- 
cifixion of  Christ.  This  will  become  clear  as  we 
proceed.  Psalm  16:  10:  "Thou  wilt  not  leave 
my  soul  to  Sheol,  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thy 
holy  one  to  see  corruption."  This  is  a  prophecy 
concerning  Christ.  While  his  body  lay  in  Joseph's 
tomb,  His  soul  was  in  Sheol,  or  Hades.  Another 
evidence  that  the  soul  goes  to  Sheol  at  death  is 
the  following  quotation  from  the  thirty-third 
Psalm :  ''O  Jehovah,  thou  hast  brought  up  my 
soul  from  Sheol:  thou  hast  kept  me  alive  that  I 
should  not  go  down  to  the  pit."  We  read  in 
Psalm  49:  15:  "But  God  will  redeem  my  soul 
from  the  power  of  Sheol f'  And  Proverbs  23 114 : 
"Thou  shalt  beat  him  with  the  rod,  and  shall  de- 
liver his  soul  from  Sheolf  Luke  16:  23 :  "And 
in  Hades,  or  Sheol,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in 
torments." 

These  scriptures  make  it  clear  that  Sheol,  or 
Hades  is  a  place  for  the  soul  and  not  a  place  for 
the  body.  I  believe  the  soul-sleeping  heresy  has 
largely  come  from  the  way  the  King  James'  Ver- 


290    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

sion  of  the  Bible  has  rendered  the  word  Sheol, 
grave. 

In  three  different  passages  in  God's  Word  we 
read  of  conversations  in  Sheol. 

First,  Isaiah  14:  10.  Here  we  have  a  re- 
markable conversation.  ''All  they  shall  answer 
and  say  unto  thee,  Art  thou  also  become  weak  as 
we?  Art  thou  become  like  unto  us?  Thy  pomp 
is  brought  down  to  Sheol,  and  the  noise  of  viols; 
the  worm  is  spread  under  thee,  and  worms  cover 
them.''  "How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O 
day  star,  son  of  the  morning!  How  art  thou 
cut  down  to  the  ground,  that  didst  lay  low  the 
nations,  and  thou  saidst  in  thine  heart,  I  will  as- 
cend into  the  heavens:  I  will  exalt  my  throne 
above  the  stars  of  God."  And  in  the  fifteenth 
verse:  "Yet  thou  shalt  be  brought  down  to 
Sheol,  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  pit.  They 
that  see  thee  shall  narrowly  look  upon  thee,  say- 
ing, Is  this  the  man  that  made  the  earth  to  trem- 
ble ;  that  did  shake  kingdoms ;  that  made  the  world 
as  a  wilderness,  and  overthrew  the  cities  there- 
of?" 

Here  is  a  conversation  where  they  are  talking 
in  Sheol  about  their  leader  becoming  as  weak  as 
they,  and  their  leader  is  the  devil,  who  is  going 
to  lose  his  hold  on  this  world,   and  will   soon 


TiiK  MouNTAiNHii:R  Evangelist.       291 

be  cast  down  and  shut  in  the  bottomless  pit,  just 
as  weak  and  powerless  as  any  creature  there. 

Beloved,  lift  up  your  hearts  to  Jesus,  and  let 
your  faith  be  set  on  Him  as  a  conqueror  of  every 
foe.  Bless  His  name  forever!  He  has  prevail- 
ed to  open  the  seals  and  has  put  to  naught  the 
devil.  But,  precious  unsaved  souls,  think  of 
your  doom  shut  up  in  the  lowest  Sheol  in  con- 
scious torment  and  misery,  because  you  neglected 
the  great  salvation,  w^hich  was  purchased  for  you 
through  Jesus!  God  help  you  to  see  it  before 
mercy's  door  is  forever  closed ! 

We  find,  in  Ezekiel  32:21,  another  remark- 
able conversation  in  Sheol:  "The  strong  among 
the  mighty  shall  speak  to  him  out  of  the  midst 
of  Sheol  with  them  that  help  him:  they  are  gone 
down,  they  lie  still,  even  the  uncircumcised,  slain 
by  the  sword.*'  Here  again  we  read  language 
that  was  uttered  in  Sheol.  None  of  you  believe 
that  this  was  uttered  in  the  grave.  I  have  never 
found  any  one  yet  who  believes  it;  but  it  was 
spoken  by  those  who  were  in  Sheol,  the  place  of 
departed  spirits. 

The  next  passage  I  want  to  call  your  atten- 
tion to  is  in  the  Gospel  according  to  St.  Luke, 
chapter  16,  commencing  with  the  nineteenth  verse 
and  continuing  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.     I  do 


292     Life  or  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

not  see  who  can  read  this  and  not  see  that  Sheol 
or  Hades  is  the  place  of  departed  spirits,  and  that 
before  Christ  it  was  a  place  of  two  compartments. 
I  know  many  call  this  a  parable,  but  Jesus  never 
said  it  was,  and  there  is  no  proof  in  the  Word 
that  will  support  the  idea  that  it  is  a  parable.  It 
is  a  matter  of  fact  related  by  Jesus  Himself,  and 
the  Word  will  stand  forever  whether  we  accept 
it  or  not. 

Now  we  will  turn  to  the  sixteenth  chapter  of 
Luke  and  begin  to  read  at  the  nineteenth  verse : 
"There  was  a  certain  rich  man  which  was  clothed 
in  purple  and  fine  linen  and  fared  sumptuously 
every  day :  and  there  was  a  certain  beggar  named 
Lazarus  Which  was  laid  at  his  gate  full  of  sores 
*  *  *  and  it  came  to  pass  that  the  beggar  died 
and  was  carried  up  to  heaven?'*  No,  the  Bible 
does  not  say  that.  It  says  that  he  was  "carried 
by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom. ''  Some 
will  ask,  "When  I  get  to  Heaven  can  I  look  down 
and  see  my  friends  in  Hell?''  By  no  means.  You 
will  never  be  able  to  see  Hell  if  you  get  to  Heaven. 
"And  the  rich  man  died  also  and  was  buried,  and 
in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torment  and 
seeth  Abraham  with  Lazarus  in  his  bosom,  and 
he  cried,  Father  Abraham,  send  Lazarus  that 
he  may  dip  his  finger  in  water   and   cool  my 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       293 

tongue;  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame/'  There 
was  a  request  made  in  Hell !  There  is  conscious- 
ness in  Hell!  There  is  memory  in  Hell!  All 
the  faculties  you  possess  on  earth,  when  you  die, 
will  be  the  keener,  and  all  that  you  now  possess 
will  be  possessed  in  a  disembodied  state  whether 
in  Heaven  or  in  Hell. 

Abraham  said  to  him,  "Son,  remember." 
Many  of  you  are  going  through  this  life  and  you 
do  not  take  time  to  remember  or  to  think  of  your 
soul's  eternal  existence.  You  do  not  take  time 
to  consider  that  those  in  Hell  would  be  glad  to 
be  favored  w'ith  one  Gospel  sermon ;  but  God  will 
point  His  finger  at  you  in  eternity  and  say,  "Re- 
member." Abraham  said  to  Dives,  "Remember 
that  in  thy  lifetime  (that  means  in  his  probation- 
ary period  of  life),  thou  receivedst  good  things 
and  Lazarus  evil  things ;  now  he  is  comforted  and 
thou  art  tormented,  and  besides  all  this,  between 
us  and  thee  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed,  so  that 
they  which  would  pass  from  hence  to  vou  can- 
not." 

"Father  Abraham,  I  pray  thee,  send  him  to 
my  father's  house.  I  have  five  brothers,  and  I 
do  not  want  them  to  come  to  this  place  of  tor- 
ment." He  did  not  want  his  kinfolks  to  come 
there.    I  have  heard  people  say,  "If  I  go  to  Hell, 


294    Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

I  will  have  plenty  of  company,"  but  every  com- 
panion who  goes  there  will  add  to  the  torture  of 
the  soul. 

"They  have  Moses  and  the  prophets,  if  they 
will  not  hear  them,  they  will  not  be  persuaded 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead/'  The  man  who 
rejects  divine  revelation  would  not  hear  an  angel; 
would  not  obey  though  the  dead  rose  and  pro- 
claimed the  truth. 

I  want  to  ask  you  a  question :  How  long  was 
it  after  the  death  of  Abraham  that  the  law  and 
prophets  were  given  ? 

People  say,  "Will  I  have  the  same  memory 
after  I  go  into  a  disembodied  state  that  I  have 
now?''  Here  were  folks  who  had  it.  Abra- 
ham's body  had  been  laid  in  the  cave  of  Mach- 
pelah,  and  his  spirit  had  been  in  Sheol,  1921 
years.  The  rich  man  had  lived  in  the  age  of 
divine  revelation,  and  yet  in  Hell,  in  a  disem- 
bodied state,  he  knew  Abraham  whom  he  had 
never  seen.  A  man  who  has  had  his  hand  cut 
off  will  tell  you  that  he  can  still  feel  the  fingers 
as  before.  The  sense  of  touch  is  there.  A  man 
may  be  disembodied,  but  the  spirit  will  have  all 
the  sensibilities  of  touch,  taste,  sight  and  hearing 
— all  that  the  physical  being  now  possesses  will 


The  AIountainkkr  EvangeIvIST.        295 

be  possessed  by  the  spirit  after  he  is  gone  from 
here. 

All  through  the  Old  Testament  we  read  of 
the  saints  going  down  to  Sheol,  and,  as  I  have 
before  stated,  I  believe  that  is  the  reason  why  the 
word  Sheol  in  the  Authorized  Version  is  render- 
ed grave  so  many  times.  It  has  given  encourage- 
ment for  the  doctrine  of  soul-sleeping;  but,  thank 
God !  by  a  careful  study  of  the  truth,  we  can  Fee 
something  better  than  a  hole  in  the  ground ! 

It  is  positively  proven  in  the  Word  of  God 
that  both  saint  and  sinner  went  down  to  Sheol 
before  Christ,  and  no  doubt  the  old  translators 
could  not  understand  how  the  saints  went  to 
Sheol,  so  they  rendered  it  grave,  and  it  has  been 
misleading  to  many;  but  the  plain  truth  of  God 
reveals  that  the  spirits  of  all  who  die  go  to  Sheol, 
or  Hades.  The  sinner  goes  down  to  the  lowest 
Sheol,  as  is  revealed  in  Deuteronomy  32:22: 
''For  a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger,  and  burneth 
into  the  lozvest  Sheol**  We  find  it  mentions  the 
lowest  Sheol  in  Psalm  86 :  13  :  "For  great  is  thy 
lovingkindness  toward  me;  and  thou  hast  deliv- 
ered my  soul  from  the  lozvest  Sheol."  You  see, 
the  sinner  goes  down  to  the  lowest  Sheol,  and  is 
tormented  in  the  flames  of  fire,  as  it  is  clearlv 
revealed  in  Luke  \f):  2^„  but  the  saints  in  their 


296     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

compartment  are  in  happiness  and  perfect  rest. 

I  will  give  you  some  more  Bible  proof  of  the 
wicked  going  down  to  Sheol.  We  find  in  Job 
24:  19:  ''Drought  and  heat  consume  the  snow- 
waters: so  doth  Sheol  those  who  have  sinned;" 
and  in  Psalm  17:  9:  "The  wicked  shall  be  turn- 
ed backward  into  Sheol,  even  all  the  nations  that 
forget  God  f  and  we  find  in  Psalm  55  :  15 :  ''Let 
death  come  suddenly  upon  them;  let  them  go 
down  alive  into  Sheol,  for  wickedness  is  in  their 
dwelling  in  the  midst  of  them." 

Now  you  see  that  all  of  these  passages  are 
Sheol,  and  the  wicked  who  die  go  there  in  con- 
scious torment.  There  is  no  possibility  for  soul- 
sleeping  here. 

I  want  to  show  you  now,  to  prove  the  asser- 
tion that  I  have  made,  that  the  righteous  saints, 
who  died  in  the  Old  Testament  davs,  went  down 
to  Sheol,  not  in  torment,  but  in  a  department  of 
conscious  happiness  and  bliss.  I  will  first  read 
Genesis  37 :  34,  35,  where  Jacob's  sons  sold  Joseph 
into  Egypt  and  in  order  to  deceive  their  old  fath- 
er, took  his  coat  of  many  colors  and  dipped  it 
in  goat's  blood  and  brought  it  to  Jacob,  and  Jacob 
said,  "An  evil  beast  has  devoured  him ;  he  is  with- 
out doubt  rent  in  pieces,"  and  Jacob  wept,  and 
his  sons  and  daughters  rose  up  to  comfort  him, 


Thk  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       297 

but  he  refused  to  be  comforted  and  said,  "I  shall 
go  down  into  Sheol  to  my  son,  mourning."  The 
Revised  Version  says  Sheol  and  the  Authorized 
Version,  grave. 

But  if  a  beast  had  eaten  the  boy,  how  could 
Jacob  believe  that  he  was  in  the  grave?  Jacob 
could  not  go  down  to  the  grave  to  his  son ;  but  he 
said,  "I  will  go  down  to  Sheol  to  my  son;"  and 
Jacob  knew  if  the  beast  had  the  body,  that  Sheol 
had  the  soul,  or  spirit. 

Another  proof  that  the  saints  go  down  to 
Sheol  is  found  in  Job  14:  13:  "O  that  thou 
wouldest  hide  me  in  Sheol,  That  thou  wouldest 
keep  me  secret,  until  thy  wrath  be  past!"  Job 
did  not  want  to  go  in  the  grave  and  there  be  hid 
until  the  wrath  be  passed,  but  he  said,  "Hide  me 
in  Sheol/'  The  grave  is  not  a  desirable  place  to 
be  hid,  nor  is  the  thought  of  dying  and  then,  in 
an  unconscious  state,  lying  in  the  grave  until 
the  trumpet  blows,  comforting. 

Bless  God!  I  see  something  better  than  all 
of  that.  While  death  may  take  the  body  to  the 
grave,  yet  the  spirit  will  fly  away  to  sweet  rest, 
and  conscious  happiness. 

Another  clear  statement  on  this  subject  is 
found  in  Isaiah  38:  10.  Here  we  read  of  He- 
zekiali,  the  man  who  called  God's  attention  to 


298    Like  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

how  he  had  Hved  and  walked  before  Him  with  a 
perfect  heart.  And  God  heard  his  prayer,  and 
saved  him  from  death,  and  added  to  his  days  fif- 
teen years.  Hear  what  this  man  said  when  he 
thought  he  was  going  to  die.  He  said,  "I  said, 
in  the  noontide  of  my  days  I  shall  go  into  the 
gates  of  Sheol.'' 

Another  passage,  stating  that  both  saved  and 
unsaved  go  down  to  Sheol,  is  found  in  the  twenty- 
eighth  chapter  of  First  Samuel.  If  you  will  read 
that  chapter  you  will'  find  where  King  Saul  back- 
slid and  got  where  he  could  not  hear  from  God 
and  so  he  disguised  himself  and  went  to  the 
witch  of  Endor  to  get  her  to  help  him.  Before 
this,  he  had  been  making  havoc  with  the  witches, 
but  when  a  man  gets  where  he  cannot  hear  from 
God,  he  is  ready  to  take  up  with  most  anything. 
So,  while  this  witch  was  going  through  her  ma- 
nceuvers,  God,  who  sits  in  Heaven,  controlling  all 
the  powers,  permitted  Samuel  to  come  up.  Sam- 
uel, that  holy  prophet  of  God  who  had  answered 
wlien  God  called  him  as  a  child,  who  had  lived 
for  God,  died  and  was  laid  to  sleep  with  his  fath- 
ers. The  Bible  does  not  say  that  Samuel  came 
dmvn,  but  "he  came  up.''  It  was  not  his  body, 
but  Samuel  himself  who  came  up. 

When  the  witch  saw  Samuel,  she  cried  out 


The  Mountaineer  Evangelist.       299 

and  said,  "I  see  a  god  coming  up  out  of  the  earth" 
Samuel  said,  "Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me  to 
bring  me  up?  God  has  departed  from  thee.  *  *  * 
Jehovah  will  also  deliver  Israel  with  thee  into 
the  hand  of  the  Philistines ;  and  to-morrow  shalt 
thou  and  thy  sons  be  with  me ;  Jehovah  also  shall 
deliver  the  host  of  Israel  into  the  hand  of  the 
PhiHstines."  (i  Sam.  28:15,  19.)  This  was 
fulfilled  the  next  day  when  Saul  fell  on  his  sword. 
But  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question:  On  that 
next  day,  was  SauFs  body  put  in  the  ground?  It 
was  not.  We  find  that  on  the  morrow  when  the 
Philistines  came  to  strip  the  slain  they  cut  oflF 
SauFs  head  and  fastened  his  body  to  the  wall  of 
Beth-shan.  And  when  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh- 
gilead  heard  of  it,  their  valiant  men  went  all  night 
and  took  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  from  the 
wall  of  Beth-shan  and  came  to  Jabesh  and  burnt 
them  there  and  buried  their  bones  under  a  tree. 
So  it  was  three  days  before  Saul  was  buried. 

Samuel  was  God's  holy  prophet;  Saul  was  a 
backslidden  king  of  whom  God  had  become  the 
enemy.  Yet  Samuel  says,  "To-morrozv  thou 
shalt  be  with  me/'  Samuel  did  not  mean  their 
bodies  would  be  in  the  grave  with  his,  but  he 
meant  that  to-morrow  their  souls  or  spirits  would 
be  with  his  in  Sheol.     And,  no  doubt,  while  Sam- 


300    Liv^  OF^  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

uel  was  in  perfect  happiness  in  Sheol,  Saul  the 
king  was  in  conscious  torments,  for  he  was  a 
sinner.  While  both  went  to  the  same  place,  yet 
they  were  in  separate  compartments,  with  "a 
great  gulf  fixed"  between  them.  I  am  trying  to 
show  you  that  the  doctrine  of  soul-sleeping  is  not 
scriptural.  I  was  bothered  with  this  heresy  for 
many  months  by  a  book  that  was  put  in  my  hands 
when  I  was  a  young  spiritual  sheep,  just  begin- 
ning to  pick  the  grass  of  the  truth;  then  very 
often  I  would  get  a  poison  weed  in  my  mouth 
and  chew  it  up,  thinking  it  was  good  food,  and 
afterwards  find  I  was  poisoned;  and  this  is  one 
of  the  poisoned  weeds  the  devil  tried  to  get  into 
me.    But,  thank  God!  I  have  gotten  rid  of  it. 

Now,  I  want  to  show  you  that  our  blessed 
Lord,  when  He  gave  up  His  body  in  death,  went 
down  to  Sheol,  or  Hades. 

When  Jesus  Christ  was  hanging  on  the  cross, 
one  thief  said,  "Remember  me  when  thou  comest 
into  thy  kingdom.''  Jesus  said  to  him,  ''To-day 
shalt  thou  be  zvith  me  in  Paradise''  (Luke  23 :42, 
43.)  So  we  notice  that  Jesus  did  not  go  up,  but 
He  went  into  paradise.  When  the  Jews  ^v^re 
seeking  a  sign,  they  said,  "Master,  what  sign 
shall  be  given  us?''  Jesus  said,  "There  s'hall  no 
sign  be  given  you  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet 


The  Mountaineer  Evangeust.      301 

Jonah;  for  as  Jonah  was  three  days  and  three 
nights  in  the  whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man 
be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of 
the  earth/'  (Matt.  12:40.)  Psalm  16:10, 
speaking  of  Christ,  declares,  "Thou  wilt  not  leave 
my  soul  to  Sheol;  neither  Wilt  thou  suffer  thy 
Holy  One  to  see  corruption.'*  His  soul  was  not 
left  in  Hell,  neither  did  His  body  see  corruption, 
as  Peter  declared  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
(x\cts  2:  24,  27.)  As  He  hung  on  the  cross  in 
agony.  He  cried,  "It  is  finished,"  and  gave  up  the 
ghost.  You  and  I  cling  to  every  bit  of  life  as 
long  as  we  can,  but  Jesus  gave  His  life  and  tasted 
death  for  every  man.  Where  did  He  go?  Did 
He  go  up  to  Heaven  ?  Was  He  lying  in  Joseph's 
tomb?  You  cannot  make  Scripture  harmonize 
that  He  was  either  in  the  tomb  or  in  Heaven. 
As  His  body  lay  in  Joseph's  tomb,  Jesus  Christ 
descended  to  Hades  and  proclaimed  to  the  spirits 
in  prison  that  He,  throug^h  long  suffering,  had 
purchased  their  freedom,  and  there  He  met  with 
the  dying  thief,  according  to  promise,  and  there 
they  had  a  wonderful  shout  of  victory,  and  every 
little  demon  in  the  pit  had  to  bow  and  confess 
with  his  mouth  that  Christ  was  the  conqueror  of 
Heaven,  earth,  and  Hell.     Oh,  hallelujah! 

When  Jesus  proclaimed  the  completeness  of 


302     Li^^  o^  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

the  atonement  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  then 
Isaiah's  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  '*Sing,  O  ye 
heavens;  for  Jehovah  hath  done  it;  shout,  ye 
lower  parts  of  the  earth;  break  forth  into  sing- 
ing, ye  mountains,  O  forest  and  every  tree  there- 
in; for  Jehovah  hath  redeemed  Jacob  and  glori- 
fied himself  in  Israel."  (Isa.  44:  23.)  On  the 
cross  is  where  He  did  it,  and,  since  He  ascended, 
we  look  down  for  our  departed  loved  ones  no 
longer,  but  we  look  up. 

Turn  with  me  to  Zechariah,  ninth  chapter, 
commencing  with  the  eleventh  verse:  "As  for 
thee  also,  because  of  the  blood  of  thy  covenant  I 
have  sent  forth  thy  prisoners  out  of  the  pit  where- 
in is  no  water.  Turn  you  to  the  stronghold,  ye 
prisoners  of  hope :  even  to-day  do  I  declare  that 
I  will  render  double  unto  thee." 

''I  have  sent  forth  Thy  prisoners."  Not  the 
devil's.  Isaiah  14:  17  says  the  devil  has  no 
power  to  loose  his  prisoners.  They  are  shut  up 
forever,  but  because  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
shed  on  Calvary,  Jesus  delivered  His  prisoners. 
Where  were  they?  From  the  day  of  righteous 
Abel  until  the  day  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  prison- 
ers of  hope  who  had  died  in  the  faith  were  taken 
by  the  angels  to  Abraham's  bosom,  and  Jesus 


The:  Mountainhkr  Evangelist.      303 

went  down  there  and  proclaimed  a  complete  re- 
demption. 

Can  you  not  imagine  there  was  a  wonderful 
shout  among  the  prisoners  of  hope  When  Christ 
spilt  the  last  drop  of  blood  and  then  descended 
to  lead  captivity  captive?  No  wonder  the  prophet 
said,  ''Shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth!"  It 
makes  me  shout  just  to  read  it  and  know  it  is 
true,  and  to  know  that  Jesus  has  never  made  a 
promise  that  He  has  not  or  will  not  fulfill. 

When  Stephen,  the  first  member  of  the  king- 
dom to  suffer  martyrdom,  saw  Heaven  opened, 
he  saw  Jesus  get  up  from  His  seat,  and  Stephen 
said,  ''Receive  my  spirit/'  and  went  up.     (Acts 

7:55-60.) 

Now,  in  conclusion,  I  want  to  call  your  at- 
tention to  another  scripture  in  John  20:  11-18. 
When  Jesus  arose  from  the  dead,  Mary,  who  had 
come  to  weep  at  the  tomb,  saw  Him,  but  suppos- 
ing Him  to  be  the  gardener,  she  said,  "Tf  you  have 
stolen  away  my  Lord,  tell  me  where  you  have 
laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away.     Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Mary.       She  turned  herself  and  saith 
unto  him,   Rabboni;   which   is   to   say,   Master. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Touch  me  not,  for  I  am 
not  yet  ascended  unto  the  Father;  but  go  unto 
my  brethren,  and  say  to  them,  I  ascend  unto  my 


304     LiFK  OF  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

Father,  and  your  Father ;  and  my  God,  and  your 
God/'  What  an  honor  for  that  precious  woman 
to  carry  the  news  of  her  risen  Lord!  And  no 
doubt  while  she  was  gone  to  bear  the  message, 
the  Lord  ascended  to  the  Father  and  made  His 
report.  And,  as  Paul  taught  in  Ephesians  4:8: 
"When  he  (Christ)  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led 
captivity  captive,''  or,  as  the  margin  says,  ''a  mul- 
titude of  captives."  So  you  see  by  this,  that  when 
the  Lord  ascended  He  led  the  Old  Testament 
saints  from  Sheol  to  the  third  heaven,  where  Paul 
was  caught  up  when  he  was  stoned,  as  related  in 
Acts  14:  19,  20.  Paul's  body  was  under  the 
shower  of  stones  while  his  spirit  was  caught  up 
to  the  third  heaven,  and  heard  words  not  lawful 
to  utter;  but  whether  in  or  out  of  the  body,  he 
could  not  tell.  This  is  certainly  a  denial  of  soul- 
sleeping. 

Another  passage  that  proves  the  spirit  that 
departs  from  the  body  is  present  with  the  Lord, 
is  found  in  Second  Corinthians  5 :  6-8.  Another 
that  proves  that,  when  we  die,  we  are  with  the 
Lord,  is  Philippians  i :  23 :  "But  I  am  in  a  strait 
betwixt  the  two,  having  the  desire  to  depart  and 
be  with  Christ;  for  it  is  very  far  better." 

Paul  did  not  believe  in  soul-sleeping,  but  he 
knew  that  when  his  spirit  left  the  body  it  would 


The  Mountaine:er  Evangeust.      305 

be  with  the  Lord ;  and,  we  never  read  of  any  saint 
going  down  to  Sheol  or  Hades,  now;  for  when 
Christ  rose  He  was  the  firstfruits  of  them  that 
slept;  and  when  He  ascended  He  took  all  the 
saints  with  Him;  and  \Vhen  He  comes  He  will 
bring  the  saints  with  Him,  and  they  will  at  that 
time  receive  their  glorified  bodies,  and  shall  "be 
kings  and  priests  unto  God/'  Oh,  glory  to  God, 
I  am  looking  for  my  King!  I  am  looking  for 
something  much  brighter  than  the  grave,  al- 
though if  death  should  get  my  body,  I  would  fly 
away  to  be  with  Christ.  Glory  to  God  forever  I 
I  must  confess,  the  old  graveyard  looks  white 
to  me  since  I  have  s^tn  this  glorious  truth  in 
God's  divine  Revelation.  It  blesses  me  to  talk 
about  it.  I  see  that  Jesus  Christ  sits  at  the  Fath- 
er's right  hand,  and  His  followers  that  depart, 
go  where  He  is.  Paul,  in  i  Thessalonians  4:  13, 
14,  says:  '1  would  not  have  you  ignorant, 
brethren,  concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that 
ye  sorrow  not,  as  others  who  have  no  hope.  For 
if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even 
them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus,  will  God  bring 
with  him.''  God  brings  the  spirit  and  the  body. 
Some  say,  "If  there  is  going  to  be  a  judgment, 
and  you  go  to  Heaven  or  Hell,  what  is  the  use  to 
bring  us  down  from  Heaven  or  up  from  Hell  to 


3o6     Life  of  Lucius  Bunyan  Compton 

judge  us  ?"  That  judgment  is  already  past.  He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  no  need  of 
the  judgment,  but  is  passed  from  judgment  unto 
Hfe.  He  that  beheveth  not  on  the  Son  of  God  is 
judged  already,  but  there  is  a  judgment  of  re- 
wards that  is  coming.  This  blessed  old  Book 
settles  all  questions  for  the  heart  led  by  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

To  the  man  who  is  in  Christ  Jesus  there  is 
therefore  now  no  condemnation,  but  the  one  who 
is  out  of  Christ  is  condemned  already;  but  there 
will  be  a  judgment  pertaining  to  the  rewards  for 
our  labors  and  the  torment  of  the  wicked  will  be 
according  to  their  works.  There  will  be  degrees 
for  both  the  saved  and  unsaved. 

When  that  time  comes,  He  will  say,  "I  want 
to  try  your  works,  whether  they  were  selfish  or 
whether  I  was  chief  in  every  act  of  your  life,'' 
and  He  will  begin  to  unfold  them,  and  every  act 
will  be  tried.  The  secret  thoughts  when  the 
lights  were  out;  the  secret  desires  that  nobody 
knew  but  yourself;  everything  that  was  spoken 
in  the  heart,  will  be  opened  to  the  universe.  '7 
will  try  every  man's  ivork."  I  tell  you  we  ought 
to  be  very  careful  how  we  walk.  God  help  us 
to  so  walk  before  Him  that  in  that  day  we  can 
rejoice!  • 


The:  Mountaineer  Evangelist.      307 

Let  me  ask  you,  What  is  your  condition  to- 
night? Are  you  saved  or  are  you  lost?  If  you 
have  one  desire  to  be  a  Christian,  cherish  that  de- 
sire. It  will  pay  you,  for  ''every  knee  shall  bow" 
and  even  demons  and  devils  will  have  to  get  on 
their  knees  and  recognize  Jesus'  name.  The  Bi- 
ble says  we  are  not  to  be  ashamed  of  Jesus  and 
yet  people  are  ashamed  of  His  name.  Why? 
Because  the  spirit  of  this  world  is  not  in  harmony 
with  Him.  I  like  to  bow  now\  I  like  to  tell 
folks  I  am  a  Jesus-worshiper.  We  ought  to 
honor  Him,  by  telling  what  He  has  been  and  is  to 
us.     God  grant  that  we  may  begin  at  once ! 


The  End. 


iHiiinHHllM 


HlHIlt 


Hill 


!?!! 


